


Golem Lord

by Phantoms_Echo



Series: A History that Repeats -Au Collection [1]
Category: Fullmetal Alchemist - All Media Types
Genre: Action/Adventure, Alternate Universe - Future, Alternate Universe - Golem, Canon-Typical Violence, Character Death, Complete, Gen, Gen or Pre-Slash, Minor Character Death, Tags May Change, ish
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-11-06
Updated: 2017-01-03
Packaged: 2018-04-30 05:53:53
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 24
Words: 68,070
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5152751
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Phantoms_Echo/pseuds/Phantoms_Echo
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Golem [goh-luh m, -lem] –n. A figure artificially constructed in the form of a human being and endowed with life.</p><p>Golems can be made of many forms and materials, each with unique attributes. While there are many golems that are made from precious metals such as silver or gold, the most common golem is crafted clay and other more common materials.</p><p>Despite the many types and materials used to make golems, there is one thing that every golem has in common. In order to receive this ‘life’, the word “Emeth” (or “Emet” in some translations) must be written on them. “Emeth” is the ‘truth’ by which all things are known and all things are acknowledged. The 'Truth' is the key to life.<br/>*    *    *    *    *<br/>Ed knew it hadn’t always been like this in Amestria. Thousands of years ago, Amestria had been ruled by a Fuhrer and his military. What changed that, Edward didn’t know. Much of that history had been lost in the sands of time.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. First Stop: Central City

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimer: I don't own Fullmetal Alchemist or its characters. 
> 
> The world, however, is mine and currently under development. If it inspires you, feel free to write more in the world. I always like reading new stories, so make sure to tag my story as inspiration so I can find your story that much faster.

_His face was on fire, heat making his skin boil as he shouldered the doors open. Smoke poured out around him, making him double over, hacking and wheezing. Further inside, he could hear sobbing; weak, wheezing yells and cries for help._

_“Al!” he shouted, choking off in a cough. Pulling his collar up over his nose, he stumbled further inside. The fire burned bright. If he thought the doorway had been hot, he was wrong. The house was like an inferno. He could feel his skin blistering from the heat alone._

_“Al!” he shouted over the crackling and roar of the fire. He smelled burning hair and realized with a start it was his own. Panicking, he shouted a third time, “AL!”_

_“ED!” an answering cry. Upstairs, where he always was._

_“AL!” The relief in him was so great, he didn’t notice the ceiling beam creaking as fire licked up its length. Just as he made it to the bottom of the stairs, the beam above his head let out a defeated **crack**. Looking up, he could only stare in horror as the blazing timber plummeted towards him._

_Above him, his brother cried –_

“Ed!”

“Hun-ngh!” The blonde jerked awake, smacking his face into the cold pane of the train window. The cold was so different from the heat of his dream that he was left dazed for several seconds. A whisper of laughter had him straightening out to glare at the other occupant of the train car.

Scowling, he grumbled, “What’s so funny, Al?”

“Nothing, Brother, just-!”

A knock on the train compartment door caught the blonde’s attention. Immediately, his brother froze. Reaching out with his left hand, the teen slid the door open. “Can I help you?”

“Snack trolley, Mister.” A cheerful woman said. She had a crisp white blouse on and a short black pencil skirt covered with an apron that reminded the teen of the sweets she was selling. “Can I get you anything?”

At that moment, the blonde’s stomach growled. The woman laughed as the teen scowled in embarrassment. Caught in the act, the blonde slapped his brother on the knee, ordering, “Wallet.”

His brother handed it over, metal gauntlet catching the light from the window.

“You let your golem carry your valuables?” the woman looked surprised as the teen counted out the money with his left hand and held the money pouch in his lap, keeping it steady with his right hand beneath his cloak.

“Honestly, it’s safer with ‘em.” The blonde said, not even looking up. “Who do you think it would be easier to steal from, me or that one?”

The woman thought for a few minutes, sizing up the ‘golem’. The blonde knew what she was seeing, a huge suit of armor a head taller than the average man and more than twice as dangerous. The glowing eyes alone had scared many a person away. The woman cocked her head to the side before nodding. “I see your point. No one would try to take on a thing that big and scary.”

“Exact –wait, _are you calling me small?!_ ” The blonde launched himself at the woman, or tried to, at least. The suit of armor caught the teen around the middle, sitting immobile as the blonde fought ruthlessly to get closer.

“That’s strange…” the woman stated. “I’ve never seen a golem move without a command.”

“It’s a standing order.” The blonde said when he finally calmed down. “My friend got tired of me attacking people and gave it the order to stop me whenever someone said something I didn’t like.”

“Ah, I see.” The woman pressed no further, accepting the teen’s money and exchanging it for some jelly rolls and a couple spicy cakes. “Thank you and have a nice day!”

The teen closed the door gently even as his instincts told him to slam it in her face. It wasn’t her fault she didn’t understand. Throwing himself back into his seat, he started on the spicy cakes with much less enthusiasm than he would have.

“What’s wrong, Brother?” the armor tilted its head to the side, noticing the blonde’s depression.

“Nothing, Al. It’s stupid.” The blonde said, nibbling at the cakes. “It’s been two years, but I still can’t get over how they treat you.”

“…Brother, it’s not your fault.” The suit of armor shifted restlessly. “You did what you had to.”

“I should have done better!” The blonde shouted, left hand fisting the spicy cake until it crumbled. “I should have been there to save you! I should have been able to get you out of that house! Instead, I-!”

“Instead, you were at work,” Al continued for him, “working to get money for food, for clothes, for my medicine. You were doing what you needed to take care of us. No one will fault you for that. _I_ won’t fault you for that.”

“…” the blonde hung his head. “Doesn’t mean I should have done what I did.”

“You did what you had to.” Al said, “If you didn’t, I would be dead and you would be alone. I’m okay with the way things turned out.”

“Al, you can’t honestly tell me that you’re okay with being a golem.” Ed turned on his brother, fire in his eyes. “People treat you like crap and order you around! You can’t possibly tell me that you would prefer that over being human!”

“No,” Al agreed, “but I prefer it over being dead.”

“I-!” Ed clenched his teeth together, forcing his words back. He never liked arguing with his brother. Not for the fact that he never won (because he’s totally won arguments before! Totally!), but because it left a sick feeling in his stomach that he couldn’t get rid of until he apologized –something he had never been good at.

So instead of arguing, he gritted his teeth and swallowed before eating the crumbling remains of the spicy cake and working on a second one.

“I don’t know how you can eat those things.” Al commented, sounding a little green even though his face showed nothing. “I’ve seen grown men take one bite and end up glued to the toilet.”

“What can I say?” Ed said with a weak smile, “I’ve got an iron stomach.”

“I’ll say. I don’t even _want_ to try those things again.” the suit shuddered at the thought. Ed smiled genuinely as he remembered the one time he had brought a spicy cake home.

It had been his first trip to a big city, well, bigger than Risembool at least. He had bought one cake and eaten half of it on the way home, then offered the other half to his brother. His brother had taken one bite and then nearly drowned himself trying to drink a gallon of water. He had yelled at Ed for pulling a prank on him, but the older child had just shrugged and eaten the rest of it, much to his brother’s shock and horrified disgust.

The next trip out, Ed had made sure to get a spicy cake for himself and a jelly roll for Al, knowing it would settle better with his brother’s stomach. It had become a thing, once Ed had started to go to the city for work. He would always come home with at least a jelly roll for his brother. If his brother ever asked, he had eaten a spicy cake on the way home.

Ed stared down at the jelly roll in his hand, a habit that hadn’t been broken in two years.

His brother couldn’t even _eat_ it. How could Ed have been so stupid?

With sudden vigor, Ed attacked the last of the spicy cakes, determination filling him (and disgust filling his brother). He would make sure that Al was turned back into a human, even if it was the last thing he did.

“Central City! Last stop, Central City!” the conductors hollered down the train cars. Swallowing a mouth full of spice, Ed quickly brushed off the crumbs and shook out his crimson cloak. Making sure the gold clasp was in place on his left shoulder and his right arm concealed, he turned to his brother.

“This is it, Al.” He grinned broadly, covering his nerves. “This is the first step in changing you back into a human!”

“Yeah.” Al nodded, standing and hunching over to make sure his head didn’t go through the roof again. Tugging at their luggage, he easily carried the two suit cases in one hand and put his hand on the train car door. He paused before opening it. “Brother… do you really think we can do it? That I can become human again?”

“Al…” Ed took in his brother’s form, hunched from more than just space restriction. Though the golem may brush it off, Ed knew how hard it was on his brother to not need to eat, or sleep, to simply not _need_. Some might think it an improvement, to never hunger or thirst, but if you can’t enjoy life, what’s the point of living it?

Frowning in determination, Ed put a comforting hand on the metal shoulder, covering the Elric family crest –a crowned cross with a snake twined around it. “Don’t worry, Al. We know there’s a way. Geppetto’s Book is out there somewhere. We just need to find it.”

The younger brother was silent for a few long moments before he nodded.

“Now, no talking.” Ed ordered. “I don’t want to be hassled by Golem Traders asking to buy you again!”

“Sorry, Brother.” The golem said, though he didn’t sound sorry in the least. Ed thought his brother had too much fun making his life miserable.

“Yeah, yeah, sell your lies to the people who still think you’re innocent!” Ed huffed as his brother chuckled. Then the golem opened the train door, squeezing through the small slot and started off down the corridor, his brother keep pace behind him.

“Welcome to Central.” A man in military garb said sternly as the two exited. “Golems must be registered in order to-!”

“Yeah, yeah, I got your papers right here!” Ed groused, nudging his brother with his elbow. The golem silently offered a small set of papers to the officer for inspection before the man waved them through.

Outside of the train station was like walking into a different world. The streets were filled with people and there were not just houses, but block after block of apartment buildings and restaurants. The Elric brothers had never seen a town as big as this before.

While his brother was still marveling, Ed took a deep, steadying breath. “This is it, Al, this is the start of our journey.”

The golem didn’t say a word, but nodded in understanding.

“Let’s go!” Ed said, starting off. “To Central Command and the Golem Lord Test!”

*          *          *          *          *

Crafting… the art of creating life from the very basics of matter and mind. Life came in many different forms, from two dimensional still-life’s to three dimensional glistening crystals, every piece held a part of the crafter’s life. The ultimate crafters were able to give life to their work, called golems. These people were called Golem Lords.

 However, crafting is not without its consequences. It is impossible to give life to something without giving up something in return. In order to make truly unique art, art that lives and breathes, one must make a tremendous sacrifice.

_A true artist must suffer for his work._

That is the law from which crafting is based. In accordance with it, there is a taboo among crafters.

The sacrificial rite is strictly forbidden.

For what worth is the suffering of someone who will never touch a crafting tool?


	2. Second Stop: The Crossroads of Life

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> /What is with everyone barging into conversations with me today?!/ Ed cursed his own luck. Couldn’t people just mind their own damned business?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I don't own Fullmetal Alchemist or its characters.
> 
> The world, however, is mine and currently under development. If it inspires you, feel free to write more in the world. I always like reading new stories, so make sure to tag my story as inspiration so I can find your story that much faster.

Chapter 2

“Why is this town so _freakin’ huge_?!” Ed yelled at the sky. Al stood solemnly behind him. Had his face been able to move, the younger Elric would have had much more trouble holding his laughter at bay. As it was, a good poker face was a perk of being a golem.

An hour ago, the pair had stepped off the train and started their way through Central City. At first, the two had been fine to make their own way to the Exam Hall. However, the more twists and turns they took, the further from the Hall the brothers seemed to get. Soon, Ed was stomping and yelling through the streets, disregarding the looks he was getting from passerbys. Al really wanted to say something to his brother, but the last time he did that, the two were chased through town by merchants and had to sneak through the sewer system in order to escape.

Al didn’t think his brother was up for another sewer run.

“How hard it is to find _one stinkin’ Exam Hall_?!” Ed huffed, kicking an errant rock and cursing when it rebound off a building and struck him in the shin. “Aw, come on!”

“Did you say you were looking for the Exam Hall?” Someone to his right broke his rant. The frustrated blonde turned to glare at the man and tell him to mind his own business when Al put a hand on his shoulder. Looking up, Ed shot him a questioning look before sighing and scowling at the busybody.

The man was pretty average looking: tall build, dark slick-back hair, a pair of thin-frame glasses perched on the bridge of his nose. His face was open and friendly as he smiled at Ed, ignoring Al like everyone does with golems.

 _Why not?_ Ed thought. Maybe this guy knew something. Dragging his cloak tighter around him with his left hand, he grunted, “Yeah, d’you know where it is? We’ve been walking for the last hour and haven’t seen anything!”

“Well, for one, you’re going the wrong way.” The man pointed back the way the brothers had come. “If you want, I can take you there.”

“Nah, we got it.” Ed waved him off. Elbowing Al with his right arm, he jerked his head in the direction of the Exam Hall. “Come on. That way.”

“You two look like you’re from out of town.” The man said, following them. Ed sent back a scowl but said nothing, “I definitely would have remembered having seen a golem like that. It’s a work of art! Are you the sculptor?”

Ed’s scowl intensified, but Al… if he still had the ability to blush, he would have.

“You must be! Wow, I didn’t think a kid like you could make something like that!” the man commented offhandedly. “I would have thought someone older for sure!”

_SNAP_

“ _Who are you calling a snot-nosed little kid, you old fart_?!” Ed roared as he flung himself at the man. The raven-haired man took a startled step back just as Al caught his brother mid-flight.

“You wouldn’t hit a guy with glasses, would you?” the man gasped with a dramatic flair.

“ _I’ll make you choke on those glasses!_ ” Ed swore as he fought against the restraint of Al’s armored arm.

“Le gasp!” the man mock-swooned, “Kids these days! No respect for their elders!”

“ _Why I ought’a-!”_ Ed swore as he wiggled in Al’s grasp, but he wasn’t going anywhere.

“See, this is why you need an adult around!” the man pointed at the growling teen. “To make sure you stay out of trouble!”

“If you haven’t noticed, I have a _golem_ for that!” Ed spat, finally starting to calm down.

“And a lovely golem it is!” the man said, looking it up and down appreciatively. Al would have felt down-right violated, if this wasn’t a common occurrence. “I don’t suppose you’d be willing to part with it?”

“He’s not for sale.” Ed bristled.

“Not even for the right price?” the man clarified, a strange look in his eyes.

“He’s not for sale.” Ed repeated, stressing it with a hard glare. Maybe if he glared hard enough, the man would burst into flames and Ed could dance on his ashes.

“Seems you’re set on this.” The man shrugged his hands in a gesture of ‘what do you do?’. “Oh well, your loss.”

“Hardly.” Ed huffed as Al finally let him down. No, ‘down’ as in ‘on the ground’. He wasn’t so short that anyone could just pick him up! Al was just freakishly tall!

Nodding to himself in confirmation, Ed started to march off again, certain that Al would follow. Unfortunately, so did the man.

Ed was getting really tired of this guy. Maybe if the blonde ignored him, the man would go away.

“So what are you going to the Exam Hall for?” the man asked amiably. “The only thing going on there right now is the test for Golem Lords. Are you trying for Lordship? With that kind of craftsmanship, I’m sure you’ll get certified for sure. Have you thought of what guild to join afterwards?”

Apparently ignoring him wouldn’t work.

“Doesn’t matter.” Ed stated, scowling at the street in front of him. Maybe if he just answered the guy’s questions, he’d go away. “As long as it’s an S-rank guild, I don’t care.”

The man whistled. “S-rank is a pretty high target. Think you’ve got the stuff to impress them?”

“Of course.” Ed scoffed, “I have a few tricks up my sleeves.”

“So what? You’re going to impress them so much that they fight over one another?” the man laughed jokingly.

Ed scowled before looking pointedly away. “You make it sound as if I’m an object to be had rather than a person to work with.”

The man grew silent, making the blonde look back to make sure that he hadn’t abruptly died on them. Unfortunately, he was still very much alive. However, the look in his eyes was very different from a few minutes prior.

“You know nothing about guilds, do you?” the man sighed and ran a hand through his hair. “Where did you say you were from?”

“I didn’t.” Ed snapped. A nudge from an armored hand had him continuing. “We’re from a place out in the country, a small town called Risembool.”

“A country kid, huh?” the man dropped his hand to his side and slid it into his pocket. “That would explain it.”

A metal hand grabbed Ed’s shoulder again the predictable rage. ‘Kid’ his arse!

“There are some things you should know about guilds, especially S-ranked ones.” The man said, his smile melting off his face. “They don’t treat you like a person, but an asset –something that is used to produce crafts for the guild and to increase guild rank. They are picky about who they let in, but once you’re in, you can never get out.”

The man stared Ed down, his green eyes piercing in their conveyance of knowledge. Ed felt something tightened in his gut at the stranger’s look.

“Be careful which guild you align yourself with, kid.” The man continued. “No two guilds have the same goals nor the same morals.”

Ed swallowed thickly, starting to second-guess his plan. He couldn’t afford to do that though. He needed to get Al’s humanity back and to do that, they needed the resources of an S-ranked guild. No matter what happened to himself, Ed was going to fix what he had done to Al.

The man looked behind Ed and Al and suddenly broke into a big grin. He pushed past the other two and started running towards a flower shop, “Is that my Gracia arranging flowers today? I think it is! Gracia~!”

The two brothers stared after him in bewilderment.

“Okay, that was a nice detour.” Ed started, “But we really need to-!”

_GROWL~_

Ed resolutely kept his eyes forward as his stomach growled. Apparently those spicy cakes hadn’t been enough to satisfy it. There was no time for that though.

“Come on, Al, we’re going to the Exam Hall.” Ed said, starting down the street. He only made it a few blocks before his stomach growled again and Al came to a stop in front of him, blocking the way. The two brothers stared each other down.

“We don’t have time for a detour, Al.” Ed argued, despite the growling of his stomach. “Besides, I ate on the train, I’m good to go!”

The golem remained resolute.

“Al, come on, don’t do this here!” Ed hissed, looking where they were starting to draw attention. Al crossed his arms, suitcase hanging from one hand. There were whispers now, from all around. Not liking the attention they were getting, Ed huffed, “Fine! But it’ll be the next place we see! I am not going out of my way for health food!”

The golem nodded in acquiescence.

The next place they found turned out to be a bar.

“Just my luck.” Ed grumbled. “A place full of drunks.”

“If the pub owner heard you say that, she would be very upset.” A man at the counter said. At first, Ed thought it was the same one that had stalked them half-way down the street, but at second-glance, the two had nothing similar except hair color.

Where the other man was tall, this one was of average height and seemed to be of Xingese origin with his almond shaped eyes and paler skin. His voice was lower as well, something Ed was sure he would swoon over if he was, you know, a girl. But he wasn’t, therefore, no swooning was involved.

“Besides,” the man continued, “They don’t start serving alcohol until after five. It’s only noon.”

“Don’t got a watch.” Ed stated as he ventured further into the pub. Al slid in behind him.

“Golems aren’t allowed in the restaurant.” The man stated with narrowed eyes. Ed glared in return.

“He’s protection for all of you.” Ed said, “If you don’t want me starting bar fights in here, then you’ll let him stay.”

A thin set of eyebrows crept up the man’s forehead, but he said nothing, just took a sip from his glass. Something told Ed that the dark liquid was alcoholic, despite the man’s earlier words.

Glancing around the unsurprisingly vacant pub, Ed found a table back in a corner that he promptly marched over to. Al followed as silently as a suit of armor could. Once at the table, Ed ushered him into the chair in the corner and put himself down towards the outer edge, ready to defend his brother’s right to be there against anyone who chose to question him.

Once he was seated, a waitress came over, giving him an unimpressed look. “Golems are not allowed in the restaurant.”

“He’s here to make sure I don’t get mugged.” Ed sighed, “Look, I’ll pay extra to have him here, but I can’t just leave him outside. I promised someone that I would keep him with me at all times. It’s the only way I can walk around town.”

The girl frowned and stepped back behind the bar counter to speak with another lady. The conversation was brief, interrupted only by the Xingese man asking for another drink. Soon, the waitress came back, frowning heavily.

“Okay, you can keep your golem, but you’re paying for two.”

“I’ll probably end up paying for four as it is.” Ed shrugged, looking over his menu. “What’s the special here?”

After a few back-and-forths, Ed ended up ordering several different meals in order to satiate his appetite. When the waitress left, he started to eye the bowl of assorted nuts left on the table.

“I wouldn’t eat those if I were you.” the Xingese man said as he pulled up a chair.

 _What is with everyone barging into conversations with me today?!_ Ed cursed his own luck. Couldn’t people just mind their own damned business?

“Roy.” The man said, offering his right hand in a shake. Ed looked at it, clenched the fingers of his right hand into a fist, and ignored the offer.

“Ed.” The blonde offered, ignoring the way the man sheepishly withdrew his hand. “What’s wrong with the nuts?”

“Well, one of two options.” The man answered, taking a sip of his drink, “Either they have the germs of every single person this bar has ever seen or they are stale as hell.”

Ed made a face. The staleness didn’t matter to him. He’d eaten plenty of things past their expiration date. The germs, however, that was another thing. How many people had this bar seen? How many people were sick or had STDs? How many had spilled alcohol on them or puked in the bowl?

Yeah, pass.

“I’ve never seen you two around before.” The man, Roy, said. “Would have-!”

“Remembered a golem like that, yeah, I know.” Ed rolled his eyes.

Roy’s eyebrows crept up again. “I was going to say that I would have remember a person with gold hair and gold eyes. You don’t see those traits just anywhere anymore.”

Ed flushed, embarrassed by his assumption. Who could blame him though? People only ever looked at his brother when making comments like that. Risking a glance over at Al, Ed tried to get a read on what his brother was thinking. Again, golems and poker faces.

“So are you in town for the Golem Lord certification?” Roy asked, fingers drawing pictures in the condensation of his glass.

“Is there another reason we’d be here?” Ed groused.

“Site-seeing?” the bastard offered up. Ed gave him an unimpressed scowl, perking up when the waitress brought his food and drink. Roy looked a little sick at the shear amount of food.

Served the bastard right.

“Can you really eat all that?” the Xingese asked.

“Sure can.” Ed said, starting on his fries. “Mm… nothing like fresh-cut fries.”

“Did the waitress make you order more for bringing a golem in?” Roy hedged.

“Yeah…” Ed swallowed and took a gulp of his drink, “But I probably would have ordered all this anyway.”

“Why is it so important that your golem stay with you?” Roy frowned and tapped his finger against the table top.

“I told you before.” Ed waved him off.

“And yet your story changed when you talked to the waitress.” Roy pointed out. “So either you’re lying to one of us, or neither story is correct. I’m guessing it’s the second option.”

Ed paused in his eating long enough to give the raven-haired man a calculated stare. Not many people would catch him in a lie. Then again, not many people actively looked for lies either. The fact that the man was listening in on Ed’s conversation with the waitress, didn’t win Roy any points.

Ed was suspicious.

“What’s it matter to you?” Ed asked.

Roy shrugged. “I have an interest in this bar and the people who come in. You can say that I’m a bit of a busybody.”

“You and just about everyone else in this town.” Ed grumbled.

“What was that?”

“Nothing.” Ed waved him off. “Al and I have been through a lot of towns recently and not all of them treat golems the same. Some have tried to destroy him, other have tried to steal him. If I don’t keep him in sight, I’m afraid that he’ll be gone before I realized it.”

“A fair observation.” Roy nodded in agreement. Taking a sip of his drink, he slumped against the back of his chair. “So, I assume you’re here for the test. If you make golems like him, I have no doubt that you’ll be certified. What guild is it that you’re trying to impress?”

“An S-rank.” Ed answered for the second time that day. He shoved the last of a burger into his mouth and continued, “Any of them, don’t matter which.”

“S-rank is a high aspiration.” Roy noted, eyes peering over the rim of his glass. “Any particular reason?”

Ed nibbled on a few fries, trying to buy time to think. Should he tell Roy about his goal? Of finding Geppetto’s Book? Of getting Al back to normal? Or should he go with a vaguely politically-correct answer that would get the bastard off his back?

Ed never was one for political correctness.

“I need access to the S-ranked library.” Ed said, popping an onion ring into his mouth. “There’s a book I want to read in there. Only S-ranked guild members are allowed in.”

Roy’s eyes widened before narrowing. “What book is it? Surely you can find another copy from a book store?”

“That’s the thing.” Ed stared hard at the wood grains of the table. “There are only five copies in existence. One is said to be in the S-ranked section of Central City Library.”

“Five copies…?” Roy set his glass down and leaned in with interest. “What’s the name of this book?”

“Geppetto’s Book.” Ed shrugged. “It’s less a name, more of a title, but still…”

“You’re looking for Geppetto’s Book?” The Xingese sounded impressed before he frowned, “Wait, I’ve heard that book is illegible. There’s not a person on earth that has been able to read it.”

“There’s one person.” Ed stated with a smug grin.

“You can…?” If Roy’s eyebrows got any higher, they would disappear into his hairline. “That’s impossible. _No one_ can read! Not even the best linguists of our time!”

The amount of disbelief in the bastard’s voice had blonde’s grin turning back into a scowl as he hissed, “I can too read it! Just because you don’t believe me doesn’t mean I’ll magically forget!”

“But you-! I just-! But – _how_?!” Roy let out. He looked like his mind was blown.

Ed swallowed the last onion ring and crossed his arms under his cloak. “That’s on a need to know basis and _you don’t need to know_. You’re just some ordinary person not tangled up with all this Golem Lord and crafting stuff. There’s no need for you to know more than that.”

“‘Just some ordinary’-?”Roy started, but he was interrupted by the door to the pub being thrown open. A harried looking man glanced around the pub before spying Ed’s table in the back. Scurrying over, the man saluted Roy.

“Guild Master Mustang,” the man greeted.

“Guild Master?” Ed blinked before jumping to his feet, “Wait, did you say _Mustang_?!”

“What is it, Fuery?” Roy sighed as he drained his glass.

“Sir, it’s Hawkeye. She noticed that you weren’t at your desk and now she’s –well, let’s just say what’s waiting for you, isn’t pretty, Sir.” Fuery said, wringing his hands.

Mustang groaned as he stood and paid for his drinks. As he straightened his clothes and fixed his cuffs, he glanced over the shocked blonde. He smirked at the eldest Elric brother. “You know, I think you’ll be a great certified Golem Lord, Ed. That is, if you can pass the exam and impress a guild.”

“ _If_?!” Edward fumed. “I’m a top-rate crafter, you bastard! There is no ‘if’!”

Behind him, Al moved to grab onto the back of his brother’s cloak and shirt, keeping the blonde from lunging at the guild master.

“I don’t doubt you’ll do fine. After all…” Mustang looked over his shoulder with a smirk, “you have quite the potential for crafting –at such a young age too.”

Before Ed could say anything more, the guild master and his underling walked through the pub and disappeared out the door. Sitting back with a huff, Edward stewed as he recalled the conversation. How could he have given so much information away to a _guild master_?! With that kind of information around, everyone would be looking to get their hands on Geppetto’s Book! How could Edward have been so stupid?!

Thumping his head onto the table, he let it rest there as he addressed his brother. Keeping his voice to a whisper, he asked, “You know who that was, Al?”

Under the table, the motion of a metal hand signaled denial.

“That was _Roy Mustang_ , guild master of East City Guild. It’s an A-ranked guild, one level below an S, but it’s said to be the go-to place for information. After what I just told him, everyone in the S-ranked guilds will be trying to get their hands on Geppetto’s Book if for nothing but bargaining purposes. Our timeline just got a lot shorter.”

A metal hand rested itself on his back, right between his shoulder blades with the fingers grazing the skin at the nape of his neck. The weight was heavier than a bare hand, but lighter than an armored human hand would be. It was caught somewhere in the middle, just like Al, yet it somehow managed to calm Ed down and steel his resolve.

Inhaling deeply, Ed straightened in his seat, Al’s hand sliding off his back and back into the golem’s lap. Standing up, Ed left his money on the table to pay for the food and for Al’s seat, and then turned to the door. Hearing the clank of metal follow him, Ed reached with his left hand to push open the door.

“Let’s get this over with.” He told himself as he turned in the direction of the Exam Hall and started off, Al following closely behind.

They needed to get Geppetto’s book before the East City Guild sold off his information to the highest bidder.

*          *          *          *          *

_The story of the puppet-maker:_

_Before the time of golems and guilds, there lived a man in a small house on a small plot of land in a small town in the country. The man was a woodcarver, a maker of furniture, tools, and, most especially, puppets. The children of the town loved his puppets for their bright colors and cheery grins and the man loved making the children happy._

_Over time though, the man grew sad and lonely. He would play with the children during the day and then go home at night to an empty house full of wooden faces and dull smiles._

_“I know.” The man said one day, “I’ll make my own child! Then I will be happy!”_

_And so the man toiled and slaved over hard wood as he carved puppet after puppet until finally, he crafted the perfect son. Yet the puppet lay still and silent, smile as dull as the ones that crowded his workshop._

_The man cried out in anguish, “What must I do to have a son?! What must I do to give my boy life?!”_

_The powers of the world heard him, had seen his troubles, and how hard he had worked. In answer to his tormented questions, they gave the little puppet life._

_So came about the first golem and the first Golem Lord, Geppetto._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Reviews: I don't want to hear "Good job!" or "Update soon!". If you want to say either of those, just drop a kudos. Only make a comment if you're giving constructive criticism, something that can make my writing or my world better.


	3. Third Stop: Golem Lord Exam

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The attendant left standing at his station looked down at the papers he had been drawing on. There was a rectangle with a curved end on one sheet, along with stick figures of people she couldn’t identify. She let out a single, startled laugh.  
> Who was this kid that could make a beautiful scythe like that, yet couldn’t draw more than a stick figure on paper?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I don't own Fullmetal Alchemist or its characters.
> 
> The world, however, is mine and currently under development. If it inspires you, feel free to write more in the world. I always like reading new stories, so make sure to tag my story as inspiration so I can find your story that much faster.

The Exam Hall was full of people, but, as Ed noted, not all of them were there to qualify. There were many people there to watch the going-ons and be entertained by the craftsmen. Ed even saw some kids running along the balcony like this was a normal thing.

Besides the people, there were soldiers, some human, most golem. The Exam Hall was a part of the Capital House, the place where the Senate met. The Senate was the ruling body of Amestria, having a total of 200 representatives from each part of the country. Mountains and valleys, urban and rural areas, each had their own representative in the Senate and each representative did their best to work for their hometown. Because of so many important people in the Capital House, the Exam Hall was simply crawling with guards.

Ed knew it hadn’t always been like this in Amestria. Thousands of years ago, Amestria had been ruled by a Fuhrer and his military. What changed that, Edward didn’t know. Much of that history had been lost in the sands of time.

Finding an event attendant, Ed cleared his throat to get their attention. The person –a woman, dressed in typical guard uniform and carrying a clipboard –turned around, her eyes falling onto Ed.

“Can I help you, young man?” she asked in the kind of voice that grated on Ed’s nerves. Why did everyone here insist on treating him like a kid? He’s fourteen for Pete’s sake, almost fifteen! He’d had a job and was taking care of his own household at the age of nine! Damn these people and their preconceived notions!

“I’m Edward Elric.” He hissed out between clenched teeth. Forcibly letting his anger go, he sighed. “I’m here to qualify for Lordship.”

The woman’s face was stunned for a second before she flipped through her papers to find his name. “Oh, I see! Edward Elric?”

“That’s me.” The blonde said as he propped his left hand onto his hip.

“Aren’t you…” she paused, thinking her words over before just outright saying, “Aren’t you a little young?”

Ed seethed.

“I made the friggin’ golem behind me!” he jabbed a thumb at Al. “And you think I’m too _young_?!”

“Er-?” the woman took a few steps back.

“I don’t get why ever damn person in this town seems to think I can’t do anything because I’m a kid!” Ed continued angrily. “I bet I’ve done more in my 14 years than most people here have done in their entire lifetime! If I can take care a household, I can damn sure take a certification test!”

“Sir, please calm down!” the woman tried to shush him, but her words were weak against his rant. Finally, Al just stooped to pick Ed up, flailing limbs and all and held out a hand for their workstation number. Surprised, the woman turned a critical eye on the golem, but then the blonde teen let out a particularly loud string of curses and she shoved the lot number into the waiting hand. “Please get your master to his station.”

Al didn’t show that he’d heard her, just turned and started off towards the numbered lots. A quick check at the number found the two brothers in the middle of all of the other craftsmen. When Ed had finally settled down, Al placed him on his feet.

“Stop freakin’ pickin’ me up whenever you feel like it!” Ed hissed, but there was no bite behind it. Al knew it was more for show than anything. Turning his attention to the workstation, Ed gave the lot a critical look.

The plot of land was nothing more than a tarp spread out on the ground with mounds of different materials piled up on top of it. There were a few rusty tools set to the side that Ed knew, by sight alone, would make Winry cry tears of despair. That woman and her tools…

“Edward Elric?” another woman walked over, much more confidently than the first woman. She probably watched him being toted around by his brother and decided he wasn’t too scary.

“Yeah, that’s me.” Ed said, scratching at the back of his head. His braid was starting to fall out of place. He’d have to fix it before he got to work. Meh, he’d just have Al fix it for him later.

“The rules of the certification are as follows: create a work of your own using the material provided and the tools of your choice. Present this craft to the judges at the front of the Hall when you are finished.” The woman stated, pointing to where there was a table with several different people sitting.

Supposedly, the people there were the recruiters for every guild in Amestria. There were groups of people here and there, some empty chairs and some people having their lunch at the table itself. Eyeing the groups of people, Ed thought he saw the glasses wearing guy from earlier that day, but the man turned away before the blonde could be sure.

“You have two hours to complete your craft and present it to the judges.” The woman continued. “If you do not have a craft or have not presented it after the time limit, you will have failed the exam and your materials will be forfeit. Are there any questions?”

Ed eyes the table again, before running his left hand through his hair. “Yeah, what kind of crafts do they want?”

“I am not at liberty to say.” The woman replied icily.

“No, no,” Ed shook his head, “I mean, is it strictly golems or can it be anything?”

“Well…” the woman paused, clearly having to think her answer over. “This is the Golem Lord Certification exam. I’m sure they see many golems.”

“Hmm…” Ed smirked, “I see. Thank you, Miss.”

She nodded, “Will that be all?”

“Yeah –no, wait. Could I have some paper and charcoal?” Ed asked.

The woman blinked before tilting her head to the side, “May I ask what for?”

“Always got to know what you’re making before you start crafting.” Ed said simply.

“… I’ll see what I can find.” The woman stated before turning and walking off towards the nearest event attendant.

“What do you think, Al?” Ed asked, looking around at the other craftsmen. Older men were glaring at him from their places on their own tarps. “Think we’ll make it?”

Al shifted to the side, his head tilting to the left. To anyone else, it would seem like the golem was confused by his master’s words. To the brother’s, though, it was a secret code they had grown accustomed to using in the world they were trapped in.

“Yeah, me too.” Ed said, a fire lighting in his eyes. It had taken two years of healing, saving, getting their affairs in order, and then traveling in order to make it to the Exam Hall. Now all the older Elric needed to do, was get his certification, get into an S-rank guild, and get Geppetto’s Book. He was so close, he could almost feel the dusty pages beneath his fingers.

The woman returned with a few sheets of paper and charcoal. Offering them to the teen, she stated, “The exam will begin in ten minutes. Good luck.”

“Thanks.” Ed smiled as he took the objects in one hand. The woman nodded in response before wandering over to another lot and its new exam taker. Sitting down, Ed crossed his legs and dragged his briefcase onto his lap. Setting the paper on the make-shift desk, he set his shoulders, “Okay, here we go.”

Behind him, Al surveyed the other exam takers, noting which ones had been here longer by the way they were already dividing up materials. He also noted a few that had turned up just as the clock began and the hour glass was flipped.

Immediately after the time began, the craftsmen attacked their chosen piles of materials. Some were rushing around, getting water from the fountain to the side of the room. Others were heading towards the temporary smelting pot that had been set up for the exam. Still others were pounding away at straight marble surfaces, hammering out the shape of their project.

Ed sat at Al’s feet, drawing away as if the clock hadn’t even started yet.

The first half-hour went by, then the first hour. Ed still drew. At an hour and fifteen, the first craftsman got up, taking his project to the judges. From his spot as sentinel, Al watched the faces of the judges. The white ceramic golem went down the table from one end to the other. None of the judges showed what they were thinking –none commenting on the craft, it’s material or its workmanship.

The craftsman looked nervous as he took his project over to the ‘finished works’ table and left to wait for the final results.

Another craftsman went up with a marble animal-type huddled in his arms, a second artist following closely after him with a set of metal beads. Artist after artist went up, presenting their works. Soon, the exam reached its last half-hour.

There were only three craftsmen left, including Ed. By now, the judges would have seen many different projects, making the ability to find a unique craft harder. In fact, the man off to Al’s right just threw his clay model onto the tarp and walked off, surrendering.

Ed still drew.

As the last artist took his piece up, the woman from earlier came by. The look on her face might have made weaker men cringe, but Ed was too engrossed in his drawing to notice.

“Sir,” she called to get his attention. Ed paused, looking up and blinking his eyes, as if in a daze. “Sir, you have ten minutes left of the exam. You have yet to begin your project. Do you forfeit?”

Ed blinked, looking around as if to notice that the brother were, indeed, alone. “Huh, would you look at that?”

“Do you forfeit?” the woman asked as the teen stood and brushed himself off.

“I think it’s about time I got serious, don’t you think, Al?” Ed shot his brother a snarky smile before turning to the piles of material. He deftly separated chunks of metal and some clay clumps along with small bullets of silver and a small pile of rusty red powder. Once they were settled to his liking, Ed raised his left thumb to his mouth and sunk his teeth in until he tasted blood.

“Sir!” the woman started forward, but Al stepped in her way, remaining as an immovable obstacle between her and his brother.

Reaching his hand out over the selected materials, Ed let a single drop of blood hit each piled before he reached out for the iron and silver. The metals began to glow, as if heated by the bellows of a smith’s fire. The two supplies mixed within his palm and seemed to form themselves without much direction from the blonde.

The audience and judges leaned in to watch, having seen the metal glow, yet not burn the young boy’s hand. There were whispers of awe going through the crowd, but the judges remained stone-faced.

The metals grew together and grew thinner in some places, thicker in others and curved at one end. The place where Ed was holding them flattened into a rectangular shaft as long as his palm. Once the metals were formed to his liking, Ed jabbed one end into the clay. The earthen material grew up around the shaft, forming an easy handle onto the tool.

While it was still forming, Ed rolled the handle in the rusty red powder, making the off-white clay turn a dark crimson. Sitting back on his heels, the teen surveyed his work with a critical eye.  The metals had twined to form a decorative, yet sharp sickle head. Silver inlay sparkled along the outer edge of the curve and spiraled inwards. The handle was a beautiful red ceramic that had been reinforced with a metallic core.

All in all, the weapon was both beautiful and deadly.

Rising to his feet, Ed walked over to the judges’ table and pressed his craft to the table just as the last sands of the hourglass fell to the bottom.

“Here’s my craft.” Ed stated with a roguish smile before walking back to his brother and nudging the golem towards the other craftsmen. The crowd watched him with complete silence. The other artists gawked at him as he took a seat among them.

The attendant left standing at his station looked down at the papers he had been drawing on. There was a rectangle with a curved end on one sheet, along with stick figures of people she couldn’t identify. She let out a single, startled laugh.

Who was this kid that could make a beautiful scythe like that, yet couldn’t draw more than a stick figure on paper?

*          *          *          *          *

Soon after the first golems were raised from the dust of the earth, craftsmen were singled out for their quality of work. Form, color, beauty, practicality –all these aspects were what the most favored golems and their artists came to be known for. Soon, there were many that wished to have the acclaim of being a crafter of golems. So many, in fact, that the land became full of crafters.

In an effort to put an end to this, the government issued a decree that a golem maker must be licensed in order to sell their wares. An exam was issued once a year at the capital in order to separate the exceptional from the average. The first exam had high standards, high enough that some competitors were left crying in the remains of their work. The lucky few that had the innate talent and experienced skill to pass the exam became known through-out the land.

These people were known as Golem Lords.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yay! Finals' week is over! Now I can binge-watch Brotherhood! Season 3 go! :D
> 
> Also, should be obvious, but not all characters will make an appearance and not all timeline events will occur like in the anime/manga. Like I said, should be obvious, but I wanted to let you all know.
> 
> PS. -if you see any mistakes, please tell me so I can fix them.


	4. Fourth Stop: East City Guild Extension

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “No… it can’t be!” Ed’s voice trembled as he stared at the board, trying to change the results by sheer force of will. “We… we didn’t make it, Al. We’re not on the S listing.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I don't own Fullmetal Alchemist or its characters.
> 
> The world, however, is mine and currently under development. If it inspires you, feel free to write more in the world. I always like reading new stories, so make sure to tag my story as inspiration so I can find your story that much faster.

“The results have been posted!” Someone’s shout echoed down the hall. Ed perked up from where he had been cheating money out of a friendly game of poker.

“The results?” the teen barely got the words out before a stampede rushed the results’ board. “Hey!”

Jumping to his feet, Ed shoved his winning at Al before racing off in the direction of the crowd. It had been three agonizing hours of waiting while the judges debated their decisions. With only thirty participants, one should think the process would be easier, but apparently good art couldn’t be rushed. Ed had been about to call it quits and head to dinner when the announcement had been made.

Now he was trying to fight his way through the crowd in order to see and was quickly losing the battle.

“Hey! Move aside!” he shouted as another crafter elbowed him in the face.

“Move it kid!” the man scoffed.

“Hey!” Ed fell backwards and landed on the ground with a _THUD_. Rubbing his poor tailbone, he glared up at the man, “Why you-!”

A metal hand reached down for him. Blinking at it, Ed followed it back to his brother. Sighing, Ed took the offered hand and allowed himself to be picked up to his feet. In the next moment, Al was kneeling, angling his body towards his older brother.

Ed frowned. “I am not that short.”

The golem gave him a look. For not having facial features, Al could get his point across very well when he wanted to.

“Tch.” Ed clicked his tongue but climbed up onto his younger brother’s shoulders. Situating himself on Al’s right shoulder, Ed held onto the high collar of the armor as his brother stood up. Finally able to see over the other participants, Ed quickly scanned the list of names.

“Cornello…Yoki…Edward Elric –Pass!” Ed shouted, face breaking into a grin. “Yes!”

Al laughed quietly, his voice a mere echo compared to the crowd.

“Guilds!” Ed shouted as he looked at the other listings. S-ranked guilds were on top, followed by A-ranked, B-ranked, all the way down to E-ranked guilds. Scanning the first S guild, Ed clicked his tongue. “Not in the Dominion guild, bet you’re happy about that?”

Al’s head tilted down, neither a ‘yes’ nor a ‘no’, but Ed knew better.

“Not in the Avion guild either.” Ed stated, growing worried. There were only three S-ranked guilds listed. If he wasn’t in the first two, then that meant he was in the last one –the Military Guild.

The Military Guild was famous for its weapons. Many of its members also knew the way to play politics to their advantage to get out of any consequences that might come from double dealing. While it certainly wasn’t Ed’s first or second choice, it was still an S-ranked guild and it would still lead him to his goal.

Checking the list, Ed inhaled sharply, his hand gripping Al’s collar tighter. He stared at the listings, eyebrows furrowed, eyes flying over them, to double, triple-check the S guilds. As he tried to process what he was seeing, his body began to tremble. “No…”

“Brother?” Al whispered. He didn’t want to make a scene, but his brother was starting to worry him.

“No… it can’t be!” Ed’s voice trembled as he stared at the board, trying to change the results by sheer force of will. “We… we didn’t make it, Al. We’re not on the S listing.”

Al gasped, a quiet thing as he jerked his head up, trying to disprove his brother. It couldn’t be that, after all their hard work, all of Ed’s blood and sweat –meant nothing! They had to have S-rank! It was the only way for them to get to Geppetto’s Book!

Yet there it was, crisp black on white. No ‘Edward Elric’ on any of the S-ranked listings.

Dropping his head to stare at the ground, Al knew he should be sad, knew he should be crying like his brother was trying desperately not to. But that was the thing with golems.

Golems couldn’t feel sadness; they couldn’t cry.

“No, you didn’t make S-ranking.” A voice behind them said. Al turned, his brother clutching at his collar to stay seated. The voice was familiar, too familiar. Roy Mustang leaned against the wall at the bottom of the main stairwell.

“Bastard.” Ed greeted. His eyes were more watery than usual, but a tear had yet to fall. His trembling had stilled, his despair turning to defiance. “What do you want?”

“You make such a fuss about where you _didn’t_ end up.” Roy stated, pointing to the result board. “Did you even look for where you _did_ place?”

Frowning, Ed was about to argue that _it didn’t matter_ when Al turned to follow Roy’s finger. Huffing, Ed followed his brother’s example and search the guild listings for his name. He found it down one row on the only A-ranked guild listed. “Smelting Guild? What the heck is _that_?!”

“That is the official name of the East City Guild.” Roy offered, making the brothers turn back to him. He offered them a sly grin. “Welcome to my guild, Elric.”

Ed gritted his teeth, “You bastard!”

“What’s that now?” Roy asked, putting a hand to his ear mockingly, “I’m sorry, I don’t think I heard you. Was that a ‘Thank you, Guild Master Mustang’?”

“ _Bastard_!” Ed shouted, making several other crafters turn to see what was happening. “You knew what our goals were! You knew that I was aiming for an S-ranked guild! You… You-! Bastard!”

Gathering his feet underneath him, Ed tried to take a flying leap off Al’s shoulder, but the golem quickly caught his airborne brother.

“You seem to think that I had a hand in the matter.” Roy shrugged. “S-ranked guilds have a chance to buy a contract before A-ranked guilds do. They passed you up, so I took you for myself.”

Growling, Ed tightened his grip on his brother’s arms. Logically, he knew that’s how it worked, had researched the exam before he had participated, but… but…! It didn’t make sense! Why hadn’t he placed in the S-rank? No other crafter could do what he does! No one!

“Now, if you’re finished making a scene, please follow me.” Mustang stated, turning to leave. His blue coat billowed out behind him as he climbed the stairs.

Setting his brother down on his feet, Al picked up the suitcase with their things and started after the guild master. Ed didn’t move. At the bottom of the stairs, Al stopped, looking back at his brother. The blonde teen was glaring at the ground, golden eyes burning in anger and frustration. The golem tilted his head in question.

“Yeah, yeah, I’m comin’.” Ed hissed as he finally began to move to follow Roy up the steps. Climbing the stairs behind him, Al quickly looked around for their new guild master. The golem spied him over by one of the judges. In fact, the judge looked a lot like-!

“Four-eyes?!” Ed shouted, making the two turn to him.

“Oh! The kid from town!” the man waved enthusiastically. His glasses wobbled precariously on their perch, but didn’t fall.

“Seems you two already know each other.” Roy noted, crossing his arms.

“Oh, not at all!” The man cheered as Ed yelled, “Not this four-eyed asshole!”

Roy’s eyebrows rose. “My mistake?”

“Allow me to properly introduce myself!” the other man said. He shoved a hand in Ed’s direction, “I am Maes Hughes, Recruiter of the East City Guild!”

“Recruiter?!” Ed fumed, ignoring the offered hand. “You’re the one that ‘claimed’ me?!”

“’Claimed’ is such a strong word.” Maes shrugged, withdrawing his hand. “I like the terms: ask for, applied for, bought the contract of…”

“I wanted into an S-ranked guild!” Ed stomped his foot.

“They passed you up!” Maes said with a smile. “Would you rather we passed you by too? Maybe you wanted a B-rank guild? Or C-rank? Hmm…?”

“Nh!” Ed took a sharp step back, as if physically assaulted. Just the thought of going to a lower ranked guild made his stomach turn. At least with an A-ranked guild, there was a chance it would be promoted while he was still alive. With the other guilds, there was a chance that he would never see the inside of the S-ranked vaults.

“If that’s what you want, we can always cancel your contract.” Maes offered good-naturedly. “After all, we don’t want unhappy artists.”

“No…” Ed whispered, averting his eyes.

“Eh? What was that?” Maes leaned in knowingly. “I’m not sure I heard that?”

“No.” Ed forced the words through his teeth as he glared at the stone pavement. “Thank you for purchasing my contract, Recruiter Hughes. I am… _happy_ to work for you.”

Al watched as the two men exchanged a look before Hughes smiled brightly and reached for his brother’s left hand. The tight grip startled the blonde teen, forcing wide golden eyes up from the ground. Maes beamed. “So glad that you think so! I look forward to working with you!”

“Y-yeah.” Ed stuttered as the man shook his hand.

“Now!” Maes straightened up, dropping Ed’s hand in favor of putting his fists on his hips, “Let’s get you settled in for the night, yeah?”

“Huh?” Ed grunted as Roy led the group from the building.

“East City is a few days journey from Central, so we tend to use the Guild Extension here whenever something like the Golem Lord Certifications comes up.” Roy explained as they walked through the busy streets. Various merchants along the way stopped to stare at Al, but a scathing glare from Ed sent them on their way.

“It’s better than a hotel, that’s for sure!” Maes gave a thumbs up.

“Hmm…” Ed glanced around them as they entered the main square. “And you guys have places like this all over?”

“Nah, just here. There are some places we rent or share with other guilds, but this one is the only extension we purchased solely for the guild.” Hughes said. “The main headquarters is obviously in East City.”

“Obviously.” Ed said as the four stopped at a rather modest looking building. It looked like it had belonged to a smaller guild for a while before it was purchased. It had a small alcove for metal working off to the side, keeping the rest of the building from getting too hot. The main part looked to be three stories high with a lobby and kitchen area being a large portion of the main floor.

“Not bad right?” Maes asked as Roy hung his cloak on a coat rack near the front door. “Well, this is where I leave you. I have a few errands to run and my sweet Gracia to return to!”

With that, he disappeared back out the door.

“Is he always like that?” Ed grumbled as he looked to where the recruiter had just disappeared.

“More often than not, you’ll find.” Roy let out a sigh as he placed his boots in a space next to the door. “Further in, you’ll find the kitchen and pantry. Most of the food here is canned, since we don’t come by often. Our headquarters had its own kitchen crew, but here we have to make do ourselves.”

Ed grunted in acknowledgement as he kicked off his own shoes and followed, Al right behind him. Roy led the way to the stairs and began to climb to the second floor.

“The third floor is part storage, part conference room for cases when it is needed.” Roy explained as he stopped on the second floor. There were four different doors, one of which seemed slightly smaller than the others. _A bathroom_ , Ed guessed. “These are the rooms available for guild members. Each room has two beds since we tend to have multiple people to a room.”

Ed made a hum to show he was still listening as the guild master opened a door seemingly at random and gestured for the two brothers to go ahead. He probably meant for just Ed to go into the bedroom, but where Ed went, Al followed.

“As you can see, the room isn’t too big, but I think you should find it comfortable.” Roy stated as he filed in behind them. Ed looked around the place, inspecting the room while Al stood unobtrusively to one side. “This is where you’ll be staying for tonight. Do you have any questions for me?”

“Mmm.” Ed grunted, eyeing the bed. It had been a while since he’d slept on a mattress like this. “Nah, we’re good.”

“Good. If you have no questions for me…” Roy trailed off, closing the door behind him. When the lock clicked into place, Ed whirled around, glaring at the guild master. He’d known something was up! How stupid of him to get caught in a trap! “Then perhaps you can answer some of my questions.”

Reaching behind him to place a hand on the door frame, Roy’s fingers smoothed over a strange set of runes carved into the wood. “These runes are meant to keep out golems. Should a golem try to cross the boundary, they will be assaulted with reactive power until they crumble.”

Ed’s throat closed up as he jerked his attention to Al, looking for signs of fissures or cracks. He couldn’t bear the thought of losing Al now, not after all they’d accomplished so far. He’d only just got his Golem Lord license!

“However,” Roy continued, “when your golem crossed the boundary, the runes didn’t activate. That could only mean that he is human. Yet his eyes are clearly golem and he is clearly hollow. So is he both human and not, golem and not.”

Ed turned back to the guild master, teeth clenched in anger. How dare that bastard make him worry like this! He’d thought Al would-!

Stepping closer to Al, he felt his brother begin to tremble, trying to keep from lashing out like Ed could.

“He is both and neither.” Roy crossed his arms and leaned against the door. “And I want to know why.” Black eyes narrowed into a calculating glare. “Why is an abomination like that alive?”

*          *          *          *          *

When enough Golem Lords had been certified, there came to be a change in the structure of craftsmen. Many below the certification level had created guilds in order to afford themselves places of business and means of profit. After certification, the Golem Lords soon found themselves ousted from these guilds by their jealous brethren. The work they had been able to gain soon fell to others and they were unable to pay for their houses or bread for their tables.

The certification soon became the mark of poverty.

One day, a group of lords decided they had had enough. They pooled their resources, bought a small plot of land, and created the first Golem Lord Guild. This they called Dominion, for it would be greater than any guild before it.

And so it was.

The Dominion Guild became the most known guild through-out the land for its beautiful wares and exceptional craftsmanship. Other Golem Lords heard of the idea and decided to create other guilds. The Avion Guild came next, with the intent to fly above Dominion. For a long time, the two guilds warred for the title of ‘top guild’.

After some time, a third guild joined the race, but they grew in fame more quickly than the other two. During this time, a war had broken out and the country needed man-power and weapons to win. The Dominion and Avion Guilds were reluctant to see their wares be used for the purpose of war, but the third guild was not. The last guild took on any job that was required of it and demanded large sums because of this.

After the war, the last guild became known by one name: the Sins, for theirs were many and great.


	5. Fifth Stop: The Past

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In mere minutes, the suit of armor Roy had admired before had transformed into a teenage boy.
> 
> A naked teenage boy.
> 
> Roy felt sick.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I don't own Fullmetal Alchemist or its characters.
> 
> The world, however, is mine and currently under development. If it inspires you, feel free to write more in the world. I always like reading new stories, so make sure to tag my story as inspiration so I can find your story that much faster. Seriously, I love reading stories. Make some more AUs people!

Golden eyes and piercing black stared off in silence for several minutes; Roy waiting, Ed refusing to speak. Finally, the guild master shrugged, “I could make many guesses as to how this came about, but I’m sure that it’ll be easier if you just speak. As your Guild Master, I have the right to know-!”

“You have no right to anything!” Ed snarled, his hands tightening into fists. “You may have bought my contract, but that doesn’t mean we owe you anything! We’re just using you to get to Geppetto’s Book. You knew that when you sought me out.”

“True…” Mustang’s eyes narrowed, “But I hold a lot more power than you think. What would the other guilds think of a Golem Lord that was released the day his contract was bought?”

“It happens.” Ed defended, even as his belly filled with cold dread. He tried to brush off the threat. “Some artists don’t fit into the guild as well as the recruiter had expected.”

“Yes, that’s if the recruiter had released them.” Roy pointed out. “But when the Guild Master himself is the one to oust them from the guild?”

Ed swallowed nervously.

“I’ll tell you now that, should that happen, an artist is followed by all sorts of unsightly rumors. He will never find another guild to take him in; can never create a livelihood for himself because of what the townspeople end up hearing.” Piercing black eyes stared the blonde down. “Do you want that to happen to you, Edward? Isn’t there something that you’re trying to get?”

“Tch!” Ed gritted his teeth, his resolve wavering. He didn’t think the bastard had the guts to follow through with his threat, especially since he’d spent good money already buying the Elric’s contract, but the thing was –did Ed really want to test him? If he made good on his threat just to spite the blonde, Ed would not only be out of a guild and eventual access to the Book, but he’d also be out of a job entirely. Even if he _did_ manage to find another copy of the Book, how would he be able to keep him and Al fed?

His fists tightened, as if fortifying his resolve before loosening in surrender. “Bastard.”

“I’ll take that as ‘I’m ready to talk, dear Guild Master Mustang’.” The raven-haired man smirked.

“ _Bastard!_ ” Ed hissed, lips twisting into a snarl.

“I want to know everything, Elric.” Mustang ordered, leaning back against the door to make himself comfortable. “I know that you want Geppetto’s Book and I have a feeling that the reason has something to do with that golem of yours. What I want to know is: why?”

There were several silent minutes as Ed dropped his gaze to the floor to think. How do you start a story like this? It’s like asking a survivor of a terrorist attack to explain what happened. There’s so much chaos and confusion that there’s no good ‘Once upon a time…’ beginning.

“I’m waiting.” Roy said, tapping his fingers against his arm.

Taking a deep breath and steeling himself, Ed looked over to his brother. “Al.”

The golem looked at Ed, seemingly taking a step back in shock. Roy watched the interaction with sharp eyes.

“You might as well.” Ed replied to some unspoken prompt. “He already knows something’s up. We won’t be able to hide it for long.”

The golem regarded the teen for a few more seconds before turning his gaze to the guild master. Roy opened his mouth to ask what the young Golem Lord meant, when the golem before him started to shrink. His mouth dropped open in shock, his eyes wide as he stared.

The golem shrank and thinned to half of what it had been. The metal armor softened to skin and the sharp edges folded in on themselves until they left smooth shoulders and knees in their places. Long white hair shortened and thickened to dark golden locks, not unlike a shorter version of Edward’s, but the eyes remained the same glowing red the armor had had.

In mere minutes, the suit of armor Roy had admired before had transformed into a teenage boy.

A naked teenage boy.

Roy felt sick.

“Al.” Ed called as he threw his cloak at the boy –Al apparently.

“Thanks, Brother!” the boy chirped as he draped the cloak around his thin shoulders, effectively covering himself.

“That… that-!” Roy tried a few more times, trying to wrap his head around what _exactly_ had just happened.

“ _That_ is what happens to a person after the sacrificial rite.” Ed finished for him, eyes hard as he subconsciously placed himself between the older man and his… brother? Golem? The boy looked to be about the same age as his… master? Brother?

Roy’s ears caught on the last of Edward’s sentence. “Sacrificial rite?”

“You’ve heard of it before, yeah?” the blonde asked, “I’d assume you have, being the Guild Master and all.”

Roy rubbed the knuckles of one hand against his chin. “I have heard of it, yes, but long before I became Guild Master. When I was first starting out, I had been accepted to the Military Guild. It’s a common practice to have their artists perform the rite before they are taken on as full members.”

Gold eyes widened in surprise, “So then, you’ve-?”

“No.” Roy shook his head. “At the time, I was able to skate by with just the title of Preliminary Member. I had access to materials with which to work with and partial access to learning material, but I could not buy or sell on behalf of the guild and many things in the S-ranked library were off-limits to me. I could have changed that at any time, but…”

“Gaining power off of another person doesn’t exactly sit well with everyone.” Ed finished, eyes downcast.

“No.” Mustang agreed, his eyes pinning the blonde in place. “But apparently, it does with you.”

“It’s not-!” Ed started to protest, but he was drowned out by his brother.

“It’s not like that at all!” Al shouted, his red eyes glowing in determination. He looked like he was ready to climb over his brother in order to defend him. “Brother wouldn’t have done it if there were any other way! He didn’t do it for the power! He did it to help me! He wouldn’t have done something like that on purpose!”

“Al…” Ed shot his brother a look, part sad, part relieved that his brother didn’t hate him.

“Not on purpose?” Roy raised an eyebrow. “Explain.”

“You might as well get comfy.” Ed said, resigned, “It’s a long story.”

Behind him, Al moved to climb up onto the mattress, but Ed felt too twitchy to sit still. The telling of his life’s story wasn’t going to make it any easier. Across the room, Roy pulled up a sitting chair, still guarding the door as if the Elric brothers had plans to escape.

“It started a few years ago when the Plague came through the south.”

(Normal = flashback)

(Italics = present comments)

“Ed! It’s time for school!” A woman called from the bottom of the stairs. Her chestnut colored hair was pulled back into a loose braid and her eyes were a deep chocolate color that held the warmth of home in them. When no reply came from the second floor, the woman turned to her other son. “Al, could you go wake Ed up? I don’t want him late on his first day.”

“Of course, Mom!” the young boy agreed, wiggling out of the tall chair and scrambling up the stairs. At the top, he pushed open the door to their shared room. “Brother? Brother! Mom says it’s time to get up!”

“Mmm… five more minutes….” The lumps under the blankets protested.

“Up! Up now!” Al shouted as he took a running leap onto the bed.

“Oof!” the lumps yelped as a bony elbow swung into his gut.

“Up, Brother!” Al shouted as he jumped on the bed. “Time for school!”

“I’m up! I’m up!” the other whined as he squirmed around under the covers until he managed to wiggle out of them and onto the floor. “Ow…”

_“The Plague had been in town for a few weeks by then. More and more people we knew began to disappear off the streets. With a town as small as Risembool, it was hard not to notice when someone got sick. Everyone in town relied on everyone else, us especially since we didn’t have a dad to help with paying the bills. We were doing okay…” Ed’s stare hardened where it was fastened to the ground, “Until Mom got sick…”_

“Mom! Brother’s up!” Al yelled as he ran back down the stairs. “Mom?”

“Hmm?” his mother asked from where she was braced against the sink. “Oh, that’s good, dear, thank you.”

“Mom?” Al frowned, “Are you okay?”

“Yeah, Mom will be fine, Al.” his mother answered, a weak smile on her lips. “I just need a nap in a little while.”

Al didn’t buy the lie at all. He knew how people looked when they were about to fall victim to the Plague. They were pale, sweaty, weak…everything that Mom looked like right now.

“Morning.” Ed yawned as he came into the kitchen, “What’s for-? Al?”

“Ed, I think Mom’s sick.” Al whispered in that not-so-whispery voice of an eight-year-old.

“What?” Ed immediately sought out their mother, taking in the way she was braced against the counter and the way her skin looked pale even in the early morning sun. Even at the age of nine, he was smart enough to figure out what was going on. “Mom, sit down while I call Dr. Marcoh!”

“Oh, Ed, no need to do that!” she said, pushing off the counter and taking a few wobbling steps towards her sons. She reached out, as if to stop him from going for the phone. Before she could take another step, her eyes rolled back and she fell to the floor with a _thud_.

“Mom!” Al shrieked as Ed ran for the phone. The younger boy shook his mom’s shoulder, trying to wake her up, “Mom! Mom!”

“Dr. Marcoh!” Ed shouted into the phone. “It’s Ed Elric! Mom just -! She just collapsed! On the floor! She’s not moving –Dr. Marcoh, _what do I do_?!”

_“Mom didn’t last long once the Plague hit her. She managed to stick it out for a week or two, but she had always been frail.” Ed’s hands tightened into fists, nails digging into his palms. Quietly, Al wrapped a gentle hand around Ed’s left, prying the fingers from his skin before he could do any damage. “She wasn’t around for long, but she made it long enough to give Al the illness too.”_

“Ed, I don’t know what to tell you.” Dr. Marcoh said. He and the oldest Elric were sat across from each other at the small dining room table. The boy in front of him looked completely defeated. He had already lost his mother and now his brother’s life was on the line as well.

“What are my options?” the boy asked. His eyes were glued to the tea cups in front of them. His mother had always put out tea cups and prepared tea for guests. Ed had done the first, but the tea bags were in a shelf too high to reach. The tea cups remained empty.

“Well, your boy’s case seems milder than your mother’s, more easily managed. With the proper medication, I believe he’ll live, though he will always be weak after he recovers.” Dr. Marcoh sighed, running a hand through his graying hair. “Without medication…”

“How much is the medication?” Ed demanded, cutting off that line of thought. Dr. Marcoh regarded the boy. In just two minutes, he’d had a complete change of character. Where once, he’d been defeated and downtrodden, like the very life had been beaten out of him, his eyes now shone with determination. Dr. Marcoh hated to see that life go out so soon.

“It’s very expensive.” Dr. Marcoh finally said, despairing at the thought of having to take away this boy’s only hope. “I’m afraid it’s very, very expensive indeed.”

“Mom had some money saved up for a family trip for this summer.” The boy stated after a brief pause. “Dad also left us some of his notes on golems. I can pay for some of Al’s treatment with what Mom has left, and then get a job to pay for the rest.”

“You can make golems?” Dr. Marcoh’s eyes widened in surprise. He had never heard of someone making golems so young. Art of any kind was built on the suffering of the artist. This boy was no more than nine, how could he create the ultimate, living art?

“I can now.” Ed stated, his golden eyes looking down at the table. “I could make pieces after Dad left…Now that Mom’s gone…”

And that was all Dr. Marcoh needed to know.

_“I had Winry’s parents help me make a plan for using the money Mom left us. It could pay for three doses of medication for Al, one per week, and enough food to tide us over until I got my first paycheck.” Ed continued. This part of the story was easier than what was sure to follow. “I went to town and managed to get a job with a normal guild. The pay wasn’t much, but it was enough to keep Al and me going. After I found a teacher, I was able to take on commissions from the guild and earn a couple extra cen that way.”_

_“I’ve never met Teacher.” Al piped up, “You said you would introduce us some day!”_

_“I will, Al.” Ed shot him a smile, but it was fragile compared to what Al could remember of his brother’s smiles. He turned back to Mustang as he continued his story. “For a while after that, we managed to get by. There were a few close calls, but Al was on the mend and I had golems to help look after him when I was away at work. Things were going fine until one day…”_

“Hey, is that smoke?” an artist asked from his place at the window. Ed studiously ignored them as he formed the rough shape of a vase beneath his thumbs. He pressed on the foot pedal to get the potter’s wheel to spin faster.

“Yeah, it is.” Another one said, having gotten up from his station. “You reckon it’s to the south?”

Ed paused, blinking as those words registered in his head. His potter’s wheel slowed to a halt. The south?

“Yeah, looks like Risembool.” Someone else commented.

“Nah, Risembool’s more towards the west. It’s probably a barn or something. With the storm that’s been brewing all day, it wouldn’t surprise me if a stray bolt of lightning struck something out there.”

Ed’s blood grew cold.

“Should we send someone out there to help?”

“Meh, I’m sure they’ve already got it covered. The family would have seen the strike and gotten the animals out already.”

Unless… it was a house full of golems instead of a barn full of animals. Ed knew the chances were slim it was Al, but…

He couldn’t let it go.

“Guild Master!” Ed called, putting a cloth over his vase to keep it from drying out. “I’m heading home!”

“Eh?” the guild master looked surprised. “Why so early?”

“My house is east of Risembool…” Ed said, looking to where he could see a column of smoke. “I don’t want to seem paranoid, but… my brother’s all alone and if that’s our house…”

“Go.” The guild master ordered. “We’ll have everything waiting for you when you get back.”

“Thank you!” Ed shouted as he took off down the streets. The trains would be the easiest way to get home, even if he had to pay to ride. It would be a fifteen minute ride at best, instead of an hour’s walk home.

_“I had never ran home faster than I did that day, but it didn’t matter.”_

Fifteen minutes later, Ed stood in front of his house, mouth dropped open in shock and eyes reflecting the dancing flames. The screams of his brother filled his ears.

_“I was too late.”_

*          *          *          *          *

Golem [ **goh** -l _uh_ m, -lem] –n. A figure artificially constructed in the form of a human being and endowed with life.

Golems can be made of many forms and materials, each with unique attributes. While there are many golems that are made from precious metals such as silver or gold, the most common golem is crafted clay and other more common materials. Golems are never made of materials such as cloth or wood.

Just as there are many materials to use, there are equally many forms that a golem can be made into, depending on its master and creator. Generally, golems fall under three main types: Humanoid, Bestial, and Abstract.

Humanoid, the most common type of golem, appear and function like humans, though they may have some extra accessories that are non-human in origin.

Bestial appear as any number of beast, typically walking on four legs, though aerial ones have been known to be created.

Abstract golems are objects that react to commands like Humanoid or Bestial golems. These types tend to be few in number and have much shorter lifespans than the usual golem as their ‘life’ is not consistent with their form.

Despite the many types and materials used to make golems, there is one thing that every golem has in common. In order to receive this ‘life’, the word “Emeth” (or “Emet” in some translations) must be written on them. “Emeth” is the ‘truth’ by which all things are known and all things are acknowledged. By severing the ‘E’ from “Emeth”, one might kill a golem.

For while “Emeth” is truth and life, “meth” is “death”.


	6. Sixth Stop: Sacrificial Rite

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ed winced and Al hung his head. “No thirteen-year-old should have to hear that from his dead brother.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I don't own Fullmetal Alchemist or its characters.
> 
> The world, however, is mine and currently under development. If it inspires you, feel free to write more in the world. I always like reading new stories, so make sure to tag my story as inspiration so I can find your story that much faster.
> 
> I've been thinking of a world that uses magic to follow this fic. Would it make sense to make it a world that uses words as its main medium? FMA used 'science', Golem Lord is using 'art'. You know what, I think it's possible. Now, how should I torture Ed this time?
> 
> Hah, people never read these things. :D

_“A stray lightning bolt had struck the tree next to our house. The tree had caught fire and the flames spread from there. Soon, our whole house was an inferno… and Al was still inside.” Ed’s voice cracked. “I tried to save him…”_

“Al!” Ed shouted as he threw open the front door. Inside, the flames roared at him, but he didn’t care. He ran inside.

His face was on fire, heat making his skin boil as he shouldered the doors open. Smoke poured out around him, making him double over, hacking and wheezing. Further inside, he could hear sobbing; weak, wheezing yells and cries for help.

_“I didn’t even think before I opened the front doors and threw myself in. The place was fit to collapse on top of me, but I didn’t care.”_

“Al!” he shouted, choking off in a cough. Pulling his collar up over his nose, he stumbled further inside. The fire burned bright. If he thought the doorway had been hot, he was wrong. The house was like an inferno. He could feel his skin blistering from the heat alone.

“Al!” he shouted over the crackling and roar of the fire. He smelled burning hair and realized with a start it was his own. Panicking, he shouted a third time, “AL!”

_“I was so stupid, but all I could think about was getting my brother out of there.”_

“ED!” an answering cry. Upstairs, where he always was.

“AL!” The relief in him was so great, he didn’t notice the ceiling beam creaking as fire licked up its length. Just as he made it to the bottom of the stairs, the beam above his head let out a defeated **crack**. Looking up, he could only stare in horror as the blazing timber plummeted towards him.

Above him, his brother cried.

_“I didn’t get very far before a golem I had made was pulling me out, kicking and screaming. It had been a metal type and had been inside the house during the fire, so it as hot, hot enough to burn flesh where it had grabbed me.” Ed brought his right arm forward._

Burning, searing pain.

His brother’s cries in his ears.

It felt like his skin was melting off.

There was a second set of screams, but he couldn’t tell where they were coming from. They were so loud, they hurt his ears.

Why does it hurt so much?!

_In the confusion of the other Elric brother’s transformation, Roy hadn’t noticed Ed’s right arm when he had thrown the cloak at his brother. Now, he saw it in clear detail._

_The skin from wrist up was warped, still pink in some areas and shaped like a three-fingered hand, undoubtedly belonging to the golem that had pulled Ed out. The scars went all the way up his arm, disappearing under his sleeve. His palm looked even worse, like Ed had purposely held a hot poker until the skin turned a dark red color, never to heal. His fingers looked equally scar, though the back of his hand looked strangely smooth._

_“The golem crumbled right as the emergency brigade came in. They found me on the ground surrounded by the golem’s cooling remains, but… it had been too late for Al. He had long since stopped screaming.” Ed’s voice cracked. Roy winced in sympathy. Staring down at his ruined palm, Ed stated morosely, “I made it out with this as a reminder of my mistakes.”_

“Boy, stay in bed!” Granny Pinako ordered.

“Ed, please!” Winry tried when the blonde merely shook his head and pushed himself out of the spare bed they had pushed him onto the night before.

“I have to see, Winry, Granny.” Ed said, his hands tightening into fists and sucking in a pained hiss when doing so aggravated the burns he had on his right hand. “I have to find something, _anything_. I have to look for Al.”

The two watched sadly as the boy pulled himself to his feet and slowly stumbled out of the house.

_“The next day, I went back to the ruins of the house Al and I lived in. I searched everywhere for a body, a memento, something to bury at Al’s grave.” He gave a humorless laugh. “I couldn’t find anything, nothing but ashes.”_

Ed stared at the remains of his house. There were a few beams left over from the structure of the house, but anything inside had been burned to pieces. The tree that had started the whole fire was split down the middle, dead but only half-burnt in comparison to the house. A gentle breeze pushed a cloud of ash away.

It felt like his brother was being blown away.

_“Being the kid I was, I thought that a grave had to have a body, like Mom’s grave. So if I couldn’t find one, the house would be his.”_

Water splashed onto the ground, making the ashes damp and clumpy. Using only one hand, Ed picked the bucket back up and dragged it over to the pump, filling it again. Dragging it behind him, he took it to the section of the house where his brother would have been.

The bedroom on the second floor was in the center back of the house. Ed knew because he remember climbing the stairs each morning and taking the turn to the bedroom. It had been his room too, even when Al had the Plague. At first, it had been he had stuck it out in an effort to contract the Plague so he wouldn’t be the only one left. When that didn’t work, he couldn’t bear to leave Al alone at night, not when any night could be his last. So he had never given up the habit.

At the space that used to be their bedroom and part of the kitchen, he dumped his bucket, picked it up and went back for more water. Again and again he did this, until the whole area was soaked. He stared out with eyes unseeing as he fell to his knees, splashing mud and ash onto his shorts and skin. Reaching out with his hands, he ignored the pain in his right hand as he dug up the slush and added firmer soil to it, packing it together.

“What did I do?” he asked himself, his mind numb to the pain in his arm. “Mom’s gone, that bastard left… now Al’s gone away too…”

He packed the handful together before plopping it down to the side and reaching for another handful of ash and dirt. The soil under the house looked like it was a clay composite, but Ed didn’t have the energy care.

“What did I do, that I’m the only one left?” he asked whatever entity would listen, whatever entity was in charge of taking away his precious people. His hands worked without his direct input.

“It should have been me.” He said, “I’m the one that wasn’t good enough for them! It should have been me that left! You should have taken me instead! Then… Then-! Then Al and Mom would still be alive! And Mom would have Dad and Al could have a whole bedroom to himself!”

Tears made tracks down his cheeks where ash and dust had been wiped against his skin. The pile he had started to make was falling listlessly to the side. It needed something sturdier for a foundation.

Without even realizing what he was doing, he pushed himself to his feet and staggered over to where the remains of the metal golem from the night before lay forgotten. Taking a few large chunks, he stumbled back over, shoving them haphazardly into the mess he had created, forming the mound of clay and ash around them.

“Why couldn’t you have taken me instead?” Ed sobbed, his tears falling into the ash slush. “My life for his! I’d trade it in a heartbeat! If you had ever cared to ask, I would have told you so!”

The mound was a bit rough around the edges. Ed smoothed out the sides with his hands, not noticing the way his bandages had grown filthy with mud or the way his burns felt like his skin was rubbed raw.

“I’ll give you anything –my heart, my soul.” His voice cracked brokenly. “Just give him back to me.”

On the mound, the grave he had made for his brother, instead of writing Al’s name, Ed wrote one word. With the bloody fingers of his right hand, he carved out the letters: EMETH.

_“I made him a grave right there and then. Then I went home to Granny. The next morning…”_

**_Knock Knock Knock_ **

“Who’s there?” Pinako called, tapping her pipe out. Ed had just gotten to sleep upstairs and she didn’t need anyone disturbing him. A knock came again. Grumbling to herself, she got to her feet and shuffled to the door.

“Hello?” she called as she opened the door. Her pipe fell to the floor in shock.

“Granny Pinako?”

The thing in front of her couldn’t be Al. Al had been burned in the fire, Ed was sure. He had told the brigade about the screams, but no one had been able to get to the younger brother. Not only that, but Al hadn’t been able to walk on his own since the Plague hit him.

Yet there he stood, golden hair the same, skin just as pale as the other day when she saw him last, but his eyes…

They held the red glow of a golem.

“Who are you?” she demanded. The thing with Al’s face frowned, shoulders hunching in on themselves.

“Granny Pinako? I… I don’t understand.” It said, “I don’t know what’s going on. I… I woke up and the house…?”

“Al died in a fire two days ago.” Pinako said. “I don’t know what you are, but you are the last thing Edward needs right now.”

“D-died…?” the glowing red eyes widened in shook, “N-no! Granny! It’s me!”

“Granny?” a voice called down from the stairs. “What’s going on? Who’s at the door?”

“No one, Ed, go back to sleep.” Pinako said, but it was too late. The elder Elric had caught glimpse of his brother’s copy and there was no stopping him.

_“...Al showed up on our door, naked, but alive, or so I thought. The first words out of his mouth were…”_

Looking past Pinako, the thing with Al’s face locked eyes with Edward and beamed, “I found you, Master!”

_Ed winced and Al hung his head. “No thirteen-year-old should have to hear that from his dead brother.”_

*          *          *          *          *

There are two ways that a golem may be created. The first is by using skill, common materials, and time, perhaps months, perhaps years depending on the artist and the project.

The second is the Sacrificial Rite.

Not long after the first copy of Geppetto’s Book was found, some scholars attempted to decode it in order to gain the knowledge of the first Golem Lord to have ever existed. Many tried, but no full copy was ever obtained. There were parts, however, that many agreed were correctly translated. The Sacificial Rite was one of these.

The golem produced by the rite was said to be the most human-like golem attainable, able to speak, think, and remember. It was also said that the golem could be created overnight instead of the months put into ordinary golems. What guild wouldn’t use the craftsmanship and time-cut to their advantage?

Not only that, but it was said that the rite would grant a power onto those who performed it, making it so that their art was beyond comprehension. Many sought it for that power alone.

However, when the truth came out about the rite, those who sought it bulked at the thought. The Sacrificial Rite earned its name for the sacrifice needed to create such a golem. Its ingredients were like any other golem, except for one addition: the remains of a human, ashes from those burned alive or bones taken from the body of living things.

Only one guild had the guts to perform the Sacrificial Rite. After all, what was one more moral trespass for the Sins?


	7. Seventh Stop: A Home Lost

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I don't own Fullmetal Alchemist or its characters.
> 
> The world, however, is mine and currently under development. If it inspires you, feel free to write more in the world. I always like reading new stories, so make sure to tag my story as inspiration so I can find your story that much faster.
> 
> ALSO, I will not be updating over Christmas Break. For one, I'm travelling. For two, I'm spending time with my family. For three, I don't see myself having a lot of free time to write, unfortunately. So, I will start updating again after break. Thank you for understanding.

Pinako was on her morning stroll through town when she saw the silhouette etched against the rising sun. On the next hill over, she could make out a tall figure, standing forlornly among the remains of the Elrics’ home. She paused mid-step, wondering to herself. Could that be…?

But no, that man had left years ago. Surely he wouldn’t choose _now_ to come back?

Pinako knew she should turn back around and go back inside the house, but if she did that now and he left, she would always wonder. So instead, she took a drag from her pipe and set about walking down through the valley and up to the next plateau.

She was old and, while the path down wasn’t so difficult, the climb up was hard on her aching bones. Still, she pressed on, arriving at her destination a few minutes later.

The man had not left, just like she knew he wouldn’t.

The man remained rooted at the spot, staring at the burnt scar of a house that was left after the fire and years during which nature had taken its course. His hair was just as blonde as she remembered it being years ago, the same color that was copied in his oldest son. His brown jacket was looking worse for wear with scuffed elbows and ratty edges. It looked as if he had never taken it off.

“Didn’t think I’d ever see you here again, Hohenhiem.” She greeted. “It’s been a while.”

There was no response, then the man turned towards her and she withheld a gasp. His face looked exactly the same as it had a decade earlier. He had the stray laugh-line or wrinkle, but not nearly as many as he should have had. He had looked 30 when he and Trisha had married. By all rights, he should have looked like he had aged a few years at least, but no.

Hohenhiem looked exactly as he always had, even when Pinako first met him decades earlier at the local bar.

“You never change.” She noted with a drag of her pipe. She had always known there was something off about the man, but she could never know for sure what caused it.

Hohenhiem squinted at her from behind his glasses, frowning, before looking back at the charred ruins of his house. “What happened to my home?”

“A lightning strike, two years ago.” Pinako answered bluntly. “The fire burnt the whole thing down.”

“Trisha?” he asked, not turning back around. His tone sounded light. To anyone else, it would have seemed aloof, to be talking so easily like this about such a dark event, but Pinako knew better. She knew it was the only way he could cope.

“She wasn’t in the fire.” Pinako started, pulling the pipe from her lips, “But she’s gone. The Plague that came through five years ago took her quickly. Al caught it, but Ed was able to get medicine for him.”

“I see…” the man swallowed thickly, “And my children? Where are they?”

“Ed lived with us for a while after the fire, but he’s gone on to Central now. He’s getting his Golem Lord certification as we speak.” Pinako replied. “You would be quite proud of him.”

“What about Al?”

Pinako paused, pursing her lips around her pipe again and wondering the best way to break the news. Could a man who just lost his wife, handle the knowledge that his youngest son was gone as well? Pinako blew out a cloud of smoke.

“He’s with Ed.” It was the truth, in part.

The man sighed in relief, “That’s good to hear. At least, with the two of them together, they will never be lonely.”

Pinako frowned, but didn’t comment. Instead, she gestured back towards her home where her granddaughter was waiting for her. “Come back to the house. I can put you up for a few days before we go about re-building your home.”

“No need.” Hohenhiem said, picking up a tattered briefcase that had been standing at his side. “I have no money with which to build and no will to cover over the house I had built with my own two hands. Besides, perhaps this was the best way to go about things.”

“What do you mean by that?” Pinako inquired as she shuffled back down the hill towards home.

“All my work that I had done, that had sent me off on this journey in the first place, was in that house.” Hohenhiem stated, the wind whipping his hair into his face. “Perhaps it was Fate telling me to finally let go.”

Pinako mulled over the words in her head. Not a one made any lick of sense, but then, that was Hohenhiem for you. The man always did like to speak in riddles.

*          *          *          *          *

The room was silent as Roy digested the information. “So your brother perished in a fire and you, being a child, were able to perform the Sacrificial Rite and bring your brother back, but at the cost of making him into a golem.”

“Part-golem, part-human.” Al corrected.

“He still retains much of his own will. He can speak and act on his own.” Ed confirmed. “However, he has no need for sleep, or food. He cannot bleed, but with enough hits, he will crumble like any other golem.”

“This is the first time I’ve witnessed a product of the Sacrificial Rite that was anything like your brother.” Mustang admitted. “But I understand that your intentions were much different from the others I have seen.”

“No shit.” Ed grumbled.

“So you’re looking for Geppetto’s Book in order to… what? Undo the rite?” Mustang guessed, leaning back in his seat. He propped his chin in his hand.

“If I undo it, Al dies.” Ed said with a hard stare, “That much I know.”

“Then what are your plans?”

“I told you, to get Geppetto’s Book.” Ed huffed.

“Ah, yes, the book that is impossible to read, even by master scholars.” Mustang said with a mocking tone. “Which you seem to think will magically become legible just for you.”

“Don’t mock me, bastard!” the blonde hissed, “I can read it! I’ve been taught!”

“By whom?” the guild leader narrowed his eyes.

“My father.” The words were out of Ed’s mouth before he could think his answer through. Right after, he inhaled sharply, his shoulders tensing, but he refused to show more of a reaction than that.

“Brother?” Al questioned.

“You might have been too young to remember, Al, but that bastard father of ours had a copy of the book.” the blonde said, arms gripping tight around his waist. “He could read it just fine and he taught Mom whenever she was feeling tired or sick. When he left, she would teach you and me, passing on what he knew. As a child, it felt like a game or secret code. Didn’t realize what it was until I caught a glimpse of Dad’s notes in his study.” Ed laughed. “Who’d’ve thought a kid of seven would be able to read one of Earth’s more sacred treasures?”

“Your father had a copy of Geppetto’s Book?” Mustang straightened in his seat.

“Yeah, took it with him when he left. There were copies of parts of it in our house when it burned down. Naturally, they all turned to ash in the blaze.” Ed shrugged.

“The fire your brother died in, yes?” Mustang folded his hands together, elbows on the armrests and perched his chin on his knuckles. “…There is a way to reconstitute those pages, you know.”

Ed’s eyes flashed with sudden anger, “ _No_.”

“Wha? Brother!” Al protested, “If there’s a way, why don’t we-?!”

“It would involve taking all the destroyed materials to the same place and going through a recovery process.” Ed explained, glare set on the brunette, “All the materials, including you.”

Al gasped and shot Mustang a fearful look.

“Which would get rid of your reason to find them in the first place.” the guild leader acquiesced.

“Not only that, but it would be pointless.” Ed said, his shoulders relaxing as he looked out the window. “It’s been two years since then. A lot of it, if not all, will have been washed away and scattered by storms.”

Al breathed a sigh of relief.

“Quite true.” Mustang conceded. “So you get Geppetto’s book, miraculously are able to read it, and then what?”

“Then I turn Al human again.” Ed stated matter-of-factly.

“Human?” the guild leader raised an eyebrow.

“The story is that Geppetto was considered the first Golem Lord in history. He gave an ordinary puppet life. That’s what most people focus on.” Ed explained, with a roll of his eyes. “Most dismiss what comes after as a fairy tale. Geppetto’s golem turning into a real boy? It just doesn’t sound plausible, let alone _possible_.”

“And you think it is?”

“It wouldn’t be part of the story if it didn’t have _some_ truth to it.” Ed pointed out. “I just need to find out the specifics and Al and I will be golden.”

“Hmm…” Mustang closed his eyes, thinking through the flood of information. “Did it ever occur to you to go after your father? He has a copy of the book, right?”

“Tch! Like I’ll ever ask that bastard for anything after he left us!” Ed ranted, “No, I’m aiming for the one in the S-ranked library. It’s the closest one to get to and by far the easiest to get access to.”

“For an S-ranked guild, anyway.” the guild master agreed, “However, as we are still an A-rank guild, we won’t have access to that for quite some time yet.”

“I’ve got all the time in the world.” Ed huffed, finally sitting down next to his brother. His feet were starting to hurt from standing so long. “I just need to get this guild to S-ranked and I’ll be set.”

Mustang nodded, then blinked, as if just remembering something, “Actually, I forgot to tell you. Even if this was an S-ranked guild, you wouldn’t be able to get into the library –or any library, really.”

“Haa~h?” the Elric brothers both squawked.

“Edward, you’re still a probationary member. Only full members get access to the libraries.”

“… _Are you freakin’ kidding me?!”_

“Brother, no! Don’t attack him!”

The guild master watched the brothers’ interactions for a few moments before continuing with his explanation. “It’s a common rule among guilds. It’s a way to keep people from guild hopping in order to learn different methods or sell techniques. A probationary or preliminary member, like you, only has their contract bought for a limited amount of time. At the end of that time, they are released from the contract and either petition another guild or, as in my case, create their own.”

“So how do I become a full member?” Ed demanded, “I don’t have the patience to wait around doing nothing.”

A big grin spread out on Mustang’s face, making the elder blonde begin to question himself, “I’m so glad you asked.”

Slipping his fingers into a breast pocket, Mustang pulled out a piece of folded paper. He flicked it towards the brothers. Deftly, Al leaned out and snatched it out of the air before it could go awry.

“What’s this?” Ed asked, not bothering to take it from his brother. The younger Elric had already started to unfold it, curiosity burning.

“Your initiation.” Mustang said, resting his cheek in his hand and crossing his legs. Ed scowled at him before looking over Al’s shoulder.

The paper was covered with a blue print of sorts for a –“Pocket watch?”

“Something wrong?” the guild master inquired, that stupid smile still on his face.

“I can make material magically take the shape of anything in the world,” Ed’s frown deepened, “And you want me to make a pocket watch.”

“If it’s so easy, then you should have no trouble completing the task.” The brunette stated as, out of freakin’ _nowhere_ , he drew out a bar of silver and chucked it at the two blondes. The brothers flailed, both reaching out for it and only Al catching it (only because he was closer). “When you have finished, bring it back to me for inspect-!”

A flash of light and the silver bar was replaced with the pocket watch in design. Ed threw it at the guild master. “There, finished.”

Catching it with one hand, Mustang took a second to inspect it, opening the clasp and looking inside before turning it over in his palms. “Nice try, but no. Inspection failed.”

“ _Failed_?!” Ed fumed, “I made it exactly like in the picture!”

“Exactly.” Mustang said, “And you failed.”

“Then what am I supposed to do?!” Ed demanded, Al gripping onto his left arm to keep him from attacking his guild master.

“ _That,_ Edward, is the point of the initiation.” Mustang said as he stood up. Brushing himself off, the brunette gave the elder Elric a look, “You have until the end of your contract to come up with the answer. You may use whatever tools you want, but the material must be silver. You may use whatever resources that you have available except for the library. You have an unlimited number of tries before then.”

That stupid grin was back. “I look forward to your success.”

And with that, Mustang left a frustrated Edward behind.

*          *          *          *          *

With the start of Golem Lord Guilds, there came a certain rite of passage. After the exam, members were chosen to join the guild, under the condition that they could pass the initiation test.

Some tests were easy. The Avion Guild required its members to form an intricate silver feather pin to denote their rank.

Some tests were hard. The Dominion Guild demanded its members to create a hammer that would never break.

Other tests were forbidden. The Sins asked the worst of their members. They asked for the Sacrificial Rite.


	8. Eighth Stop: Youswell coal mines

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> His brother’s head popped up from where it had been laying on the work desk. “Al, you are a genius.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I don't own Fullmetal Alchemist or its characters.
> 
> The world, however, is mine and currently under development. If it inspires you, feel free to write more in the world. I always like reading new stories, so make sure to tag my story as inspiration so I can find your story that much faster.
> 
> Also, the next chapter of Feral is getting really long. I can't seem to find a good stopping place, so I'm holding onto that update until the chapter is finished.

Ed let out a frustrated growl.

“That bastard hasn’t signed off on a single watch!” he complained to Al, fingers digging into his hair in agitation. “Twenty-seven, I’ve made twenty-seven of those things and none of them have been approved!”

“Maybe… you should ask someone?” Al scratched at his hair, “Like Mr. Hughes? He’s part of the guild, right? So maybe he would know?”

His brother’s head popped up from where it had been laying on the work desk. “Al, you are a genius.”

Al made a face like he could have been blushing, but no blood reddened his cheeks. “I’m only stating the obvious, Brother.”

“Obvious my foot.” Ed grumbled as he stood and slung his cloak around his shoulders, careful to cover his scarred flesh. “Let’s go, Al. We’ve got some recon to do.”

“Yes, Brother!” Al chirped before being enveloped in a brilliant light. A second later, his golem form emerged. His voice sounded tinny when he spoke. “So where are we going first?”

“Well…” Ed scratched at his braid, frowning when he tugged out locks by mistake. Deftly, he reached back and undid the tie at the bottom. Running his fingers through his hair, Ed continued, “Hughes hasn’t been back since yesterday, so I’m thinking we go back to where we first met him. I think he was meeting someone there, wasn’t he?”

“Yeah.” Al answered, taking over and braiding his brother’s hair for him. “A woman at the flower shop, Gracia, I think?”

“Right, so we’ll look there first.” Ed planned aloud, his eyes drooping a little as his brother worked his hair.

“And after that?” Al prompted.

“After that…” Ed thought... and thought… and thought. His eyes widened in shock, “Shit, I know nothing about these people.”

“Brother?” Al tied off the end of his braid.

“Nothing, Al.” Ed shook his head, “We’ll just wing it after that. Maybe we’ll asked the bastard if he knows where Hughes might be.”

“Y-yeah.” Al straightened out of his slight crouch and followed Ed to the door.

“I mean, how hard can it be to find one person?” Ed opened the door, only to nearly run into a raised fist.

“Ah!” the hand quickly retreated, “There you guys are!”

“Wha-? Hughes?” Ed stumbled back in surprise.

“I was just about to knock!” the raven-haired man said with a grin. “Roy has a task for you two.”

“Task?” Ed frowned, “Wait, I thought that probationary members didn’t get things like that.”

“In normal guilds, maybe.” Maes tilted his head to the side, a thoughtful look on his face. “But since the East City Guild runs on probationary members, we kind of overlook that rule.”

“Runs on?” Ed’s brow knit together. “Wait, are you telling me there are _no_ full members in this guild?”

“Oh, of course there is.” Maes grinned, “Just not Golem Lords, ‘cept for Roy of course.”

“No other Golem Lords?” Ed paled. “Why not?”

“The initiation process is what I’ve heard.” The recruiter said. “Everyone gets an unlimited number of tries, but not a single person has yet to pass. Personally, I would think Roy’s just leading them on, if I didn’t know better.”

“Know better?” Ed lunged forward, grabbing a handful of Maes’ jacket, “Do you know the secret?”

“I know what Roy is looking for.” Hughes answered vaguely, “But just telling you won’t make it happen. Roy will know if I’ve told you or not and will automatically disqualify you.”

Ed wilted. Behind him, Al remained rigid, but even the armor looked forlorn. Hughes frowned, scratching at his stubbled chin before sighing to himself. “I can give you a hint, but you’ll have to figure it out on your own.”

“Really?” Ed perked up, eyes shining at the prospect.

“The design he gave you doesn’t have to be what you turn in. He wants a watch. Past that is up to you.” the recruiter said before pushing away from the doorway. “Now, come on! You need the official briefing document from his office before you leave.”

“Leave? Where are we going?” Ed questioned, curious. He hadn’t thought Golem Lords traveled a lot. Normal guilds didn’t, but then again, they had more members all over the place.

“The Youswell Mines.” Another voice answered from behind a desk. Mustang was set up with stacks of paper surrounding him. “The Guild owns a mine or two up there for crafting supplies. However, recently we haven’t been getting the same number of incoming shipments as we have been. I need to see if the mines have dried up… or if something else has gone wrong.”

“You suspect something else?” Ed asked, looking at the packet of documents sitting on the desk. His hands itched to reach out and grab them. He had always liked mysteries, even if now really wasn’t the time for it.

“It is better to be too suspicious than too trusting.” The guild master answered. “I just need you two to go up there and speak with the head miner of our district. If the mines have dried up, we’ll need to move locations and buy up another vein.”

“Right.” Ed said, finally giving into his urge and picking up the packet.

“That contains previous shipment records from our end and more recent ones to compare with.” Mustang stated, folding his hands together on his desk. “It also contains a list of workers and guild members in the area. It should be up-to-date with all that I have authorized. If someone claims to work for me and is not on the list, please detain them and call me. I’ll deal with them myself.”

Ed made a grunt of acknowledgement, already picking his way through the first few pages of the packet. Mustang’s eyebrows rose, but he didn’t comment. Instead, he turned to the golem behind the blonde. “Al, if you would please escort Edward to the train station?”

The golem nodded and herded his brother to the door. The blonde crafter went easily enough, moving at Al’s prodding even with his nose still buried in the folder of pages. When the two had left the office, Hughes let out a whistle as he settled with a hip on Roy’s desk.

“Ed made you a part of the golem’s loyalty program already?” Hughes asked with a raised eyebrow. “He seemed pretty protective of that one.”

“He is.” The guild master stated, shuffling a small pile of papers to the side as he pulled another few off the stack to his left to read. “There are special circumstances surrounding the Elric brothers. As my information specialist, I will tell you some of what they told me. I need you to investigate the validity of their claim.”

“Checking out the new recruits?” Hughes grinned.

“Only those that afford it.” Mustang answered, signing the last page of a set and placing them on the top of the pile to his right. He reached for the next documents on the left.

“Oh, Roy, you _dog_.” Maes leered at him. Roy caught the double meaning of his words just as his hand missed the top of the stack and pushed the pile of papers over.

“Maes!” Roy growled, a light blush across his cheeks. “I would prefer you don’t make lewd comments about people under my command.”

“But, sir, _I’m_ under your command!” Maes argued, a broad grin showing all his teeth.

“Dammit, Hughes!”

Hughes laughed as he danced out of the way of Roy’s fist. In his hand was a rolled set of papers that Roy had set out for him. The raven-haired man saluted, “I’ll check out the facts on these two and be back in a jiffy! Don’t stay up waiting for me!”

“Shouldn’t you be telling that to Gracia?” Roy grumbled as he picked up the mess of paperwork.

“Are you kidding? I’m going to be calling her every night!” the recruiter yelled over his shoulder as he went. “See you later, Roy!”

“It better be much, _much_ later.” Roy muttered to himself as he went to work on the documents waiting for his signature.

*          *          *          *          *

Pinako was getting ready for her morning walk when she saw her old drinking buddy staring at the wall of photos she had collected over the years. There were several of her family –her son and daughter-in-law and her granddaughter –and a few of the Elrics –of Trisha and her sons and of the brothers before and after the fire.

Those after the fire were fewer, with Ed’s despondent gaze turned towards the camera and Al’s turned away, so as not to catch the red light of his eyes. No one could tell that he was a golem in these pictures. Pinako had made sure to destroy the ones that showed that he was.

“Something peak your interest, old man?” she asked, tapping her pipe into a tray.

“This one.” He pointed to on half covered by one of the boys before the fire. It had four figures in it, two very small children and two grown adults. “The one with all of us together… May I take it with me?”

Pinako’s jaw slackened before she pursed her lips. “Go ahead. I’ve got plenty of others.”

“Thank you.” Hohenheim said as he unpinned the photo. He rubbed a gentle thumb over his wife’s smiling face. He could remember the day this photo had been taken, the day his wife had made a promise he knew she could never keep.

“I’ll be leaving now.” he stated, slipping the photo into his breast pocket. “I’ll be heading to the West before Central. Should anyone come looking for me, please send them there.”

“Are you expecting someone to be looking for you?” Pinako asked, curious. The man spoke little of his journeys and even less of his location at any time.

“It has been many years.” He said cryptically, “It’s about time for them to try again.”

Pinako frowned, but the man was already picking up his suitcase and opening the front door. In the next minute, the door closed and the man was gone, taking with him the last photo of his family –the last reminder that Van Hohenhiem had ever lived.

*          *          *          *          *

“It doesn’t make sense, Al.” Ed muttered under his breath, leafing through the pages that Mustang had given him. “The shipments are regular, sending four bars of silver and bronze every other week along with six crates of clay, coal, and unrefined ore. If one vein dried up, we’d see a decrease in one supply. Instead, we’re seeing a slow decrease in all of them.”

“What does that mean, Brother?” the armor asked, quiet even in the relative safety of the train compartment.

“It means that someone is taking supplies.” Ed frowned, flipping back to an early document where the decline first began. “Here, it started out small. A few ounces of unrefined ore and clay went missing. It was determined that they just hadn’t filled the quota that time or that it was bumped off on the train.”

He shifted his finger further down the list of shipments. “But here, a silver bar went missing. An inquiry was made, but everyone claimed there were four bars that were sent, so again, it was blamed on the travel in between. From there, the missing supplies grows bigger and bigger.”

Ed fingered the most recent shipping record. “Now, we’re down to half of what we normally got. It’s only been three months, according to this. That’s six shipments total.” He frowned, “Whoever this is, they work fast.”

“What are we going to do, Brother?”

“We’ll do what Mustang said.” Edward leaned back, crossing his arms and trailing his fingers over his scars. “We’ll find the person responsible and detain them. How much harder can it be?”

“How will we find them?”

“We’ll keep watch personally if we have to.” Ed said, eyes growing heavy with the lull of the train. “Easy as pie.”

“Brother…” Al wanted to argue that it couldn’t be that simple, but Ed was already asleep and the golem was loathed to wake him for something so petty.

*          *          *          *          *

Once guilds had been established, the need for materials became obvious. Before a war could break out between the guilds, a committee was created to divide the resources of Amestria fairly. Common mines through-out the land were given over to the normal guilds, the ones without Golem Lords.

Other mines, such as the Youswell coal mines, had an added factor. Centuries ago, the mines had dried up after so much mining. There should not have been anything left for resources. However, this was not the case. No one could explain it, but mines that were once empty now held not only common materials such as coal or copper, but also things like silver and gold, side-by-side.

These mines were saved for the Golem Lord Guilds as their needs were greater and their wealth more resplendent. None questioned where the resources came from, so long as they maintained their supply.


	9. Ninth Stop: Miners' town

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I don't own Fullmetal Alchemist or its characters.
> 
> The world, however, is mine and currently under development. If it inspires you, feel free to write more in the world. I always like reading new stories, so make sure to tag my story as inspiration so I can find your story that much faster.

“Yeah, I just arrived in town.” Maes spoke into the receiver of the phone. He was currently at the small train station in the south, close to Resembool. “I’ve asked around a little and it seems that the Elrics did live here at one time. The oldest son worked in a guild in the eastern district, but left about a month ago. My guess? That’s when he started to prepare for the Golem Lord Exam.”

 _“So they weren’t lying about where they came from.”_ Roy said from the other end of the line. _“See what else you can find, Hughes.”_

“Yeah, yeah.” Maes scratched at his beard. “Hey Roy, you keep saying ‘they’ and ‘brothers’. If Edward is the oldest, that means the youngest should still be around, right?”

 _“Something like that.”_ Roy replied.

Maes frowned and grumbled, “You know, if you told me everything, I’d have better leads on _what_ , exactly, I’m looking for.”

 _“I just need to know what you find, Maes, nothing more, nothing less. The rest is up to Edward.”_ Roy said, cutting off his complaints early. _“Now if you’ll excuse me, I have more paperwork to fill out for our youngest member.”_

Maes let out a long-suffering sigh. “Yeah.”

_“Keep me posted.”_

After the call ended, Maes hung up the phone and headed to the desk in order to call a cab.

*          *          *          *          *

Back in Central, at a different guild extension, a woman worked over a stack of notebooks and records. Her hair was long and dark, the envy of any woman that passed her on the streets. Her body was curved and voluptuous, a thing that men could only hold in their dreams. Long, elegant fingers wrote quickly and gracefully, cursive flowing onto the paper beneath it.

“Did we get any new meat in this Golem Lord Exam?” a voice called out. The voice could have easily been male or female, but the woman didn’t startle and didn’t answer until she had finished her sentence and closed the book she was working in.

“Envy.” She greeted, exchanging the book in front of her for a small stack of records. “I thought you and Gluttony were out hunting.”

“We hunted, we found, we tore.” The voice’s owner appeared from the shadows, looking as gender fluid as their voice suggested. Long dark hair fell in a stringy mess, down in the person’s face as they grinned. “Greed won’t be messing with our plans for a while.”

“Lust.” Another voice whined, this one belonging to a short, rotund man who pouted as he spoke, “Envy didn’t let me eat him! I never get to eat him!”

“Because he is one of us, Gluttony!” Envy shouted, “When we have the key to perfecting our bodies, _then_ you can eat him, but not before!”

“Envy is right.” The woman said, straightening the stack of records with a tap. “We still have use for him. When he is no longer useful, you may eat him.”

“Aw…” the man groaned as his stomach grumbled.

“And speaking of the key,” the woman continued, “I feel that we might have a lead.”

“For _real_?” Envy shot her a shocked look. “Did you see that bastard walking the streets or something?”

“Not quite.” The woman shuffled through a small stack before pulling out a single slip of paper. “Van Hohenhiem is still missing, but it appears that he might have taken more than the notebook with him.”

“More than Father’s notebook?” Envy sneered, “What else is there?”

“The key we are looking for.” The woman held up her find. The paper had many lines of information, but the most prominent was a photo –the face of a young man, with eyes and hair the color of the sun. Envy would have recognized that face anywhere.

“He really did it.” They hissed, violet eyes growing wide. “Van Hohenhiem found the secret of perfection!”

*          *          *          *          *

The train breaks let out a screech as the locomotive pulled into the eastern most station of Amestria. As it slowed, Ed roused from his sleep, rubbing at his eyes sleepily. “We here, Al?”

“Uh-huh.” The golem replied, his last words for the next few hours.

“Okay, let’s get this over with.” Ed said, shoving a folder under his arm and opening the compartment door. “The information Mustang gave us says that the foreman should be at the guild extension out here. We’ll start looking there.”

Al kept quiet as he grabbed his brother’s things and followed the small blonde out. In the station, Ed found a map of the area, complete with colored lines marking out the different territories guilds had bought for themselves. The one for the East City Guild (the Smelting Guild, Ed shook his head) was outlined in a coppery orange color and was a good day’s walk from town. Luckily, the guild extension didn’t have to be in the same area as the territory, more for business reason than anything else.

“Okay, this should be the place.” Ed said, looking up from the map to find himself in front of a quaint looking office. The sign on the door said open, so Ed let himself in. The door opened with a chime.

“Hello, can I help you?” a woman asked from behind the desk. Ed blinked at her before going up to the desk. He’d never done something like this before. Was he just supposed to… ask?

“Uh, yeah, I’m… I’m here to talk to the foreman?” Ed tried.

“Ah, my husband?” the woman asked. “He’s out at the mines today. I didn’t realize he had an appointment.”

“Well, it’s kind of last thing.” Ed said quietly, “Didn’t really know I was coming out here until my… er, boss shoved me out the door. It’s pretty important though.”

“If it’s urgent, you can catch a bus out to the territory.” The woman said helpfully. “Do you have a map?”

“Um, yeah, right here.” Ed pulled it out and unfolded it.

“Right here is the bus stop.” The lady said, pointing to a spot on the map. “If you take the orange line, you get out there in about two hours. My husband will be at the inn in the worker’s town there.”

“Worker’s town?” Ed repeated.

“Yes.” She smiled, “Did you think we’d take the bus out there every day? No, most people build houses out near the mines so that they don’t have to worry about transportation. The workforce doesn’t change much, so once you’re hired, you’re here for several years. It’s more practical.”

“I guess so.” Ed acknowledged before he bowed his head, “Thank you.”

“No problem.” The woman said brightly, “Be careful.”

Ed nodded and left the store, going out to the bus stop with Al right behind. The bus driver wasn’t happy to see a golem as large at Al, but when Ed made it clear where they were going, he had no other choice but to allow him to board.

The drive down took two hours, like the woman said, and the two brothers arrived around three o’clock when the work shift changed. The inn was full of men who stunk of sweat and dirt, but who were among the jolliest bunch of people you’d ever find.

Ed stepped in warily with Al at his back. As soon as the golem stepped foot in the inn, a shout came, “Hey! No golem’s in the inn!”

“Sorry!” Ed shouted, “I’m just looking for the foreman?”

“That’d be me.” The man who had shouted came forward. He had brown hair that was starting to gray and a moustache and beard to match. His shirt was caked in dirt, but he didn’t seem to care as he crossed his arms, “There ain’t no golems allowed in the inn. We don’t want no trouble.”

“We don’t either.” Ed put his hand up beseechingly. “I came to talk to you about some things related to the Smelting Guild.”

The man gave him a hard stare before nodding to the door. “We’ll talk in my office. After you.”

The brother’s quickly backtracked out the door and followed the man to another building off to the side that was much smaller.

“Your golem can wait out here.” The foreman said.

“I’d much rather keep him with me, thanks.” Ed stated.

“And I’d much rather have some breathing room.” The foreman grunted in reply. Ed looked past him to see that the building was much smaller than he had first realized. It was literally one room with just enough space for a desk a cabinet and two people. If someone tried to fit a giant suit of armor in there as well… Ed winced.

“Al, stay out here. Don’t go walking off with strangers.” Ed said as he brushed past the foreman. The man gave the golem a confused look before he closed the door behind them.

“He go off with others a lot?” the man wondered aloud.

“More than I’d like.” Ed grumbled. “He’s my first creation.”

“Ah.” the foreman bought the explanation. It was a commonly known fact that the first golems a Golem Lord created tended to have… quirks. “So what can I do for you?”

“Well, I’ve been sent by Mustang to inquire about-?”

“Guild Master Mustang?” the man’s eyebrows rose before they furrowed. “Is he still going on about the missing supplies?”

The question was asked with annoyance, making Ed frown. “Yes, he sent me in to check for any suspicious activity.”

“Look, I know all these guys. I’ve worked with them for years. Our homes and families are here.” The foreman said. “It doesn’t make sense that any one of them would be taking things off the top.”

“I agree.” Ed said.

“Just because we –wait, what?” the foreman blinked in surprise, like he hadn’t thought the teen would agree with him.

“This only started happening recently. If anyone was going to scrape some off the top they would have done so long before now.” Ed explained, “And the lady at the guild extension, your wife? She said that people come out here for years at a time. It doesn’t make sense to jeopardize a lifestyle for a few extra bucks. Do you get paid well out here?”

“We don’t get paid.” The foreman sat back in his chair, “but we don’t pay for anything either. There are no land taxes or house mortgages. Our supplies are sent in from East City with the idea that we pay with our labor. Even the town doctor gives out free medicine and consultation. There’s no use for money out here.”

“That’s…that makes you pretty dependent on East City, doesn’t it?” Ed frowned.

“Every territory works like that out here.” The foreman shrugged. “Have been since the Youswell coal mines were first divided into territories. It was part of a stipulation with the land deed.”

“Huh…” Ed’s mind turned at different possibilities before he shook himself out of his reverie. “Then there’s no reason for your men to need extra money?”

“Not unless they went into town, but then the town has part-time jobs for people who need a little quick cash.” The foreman paused for a few minutes, thinking, “so you’re saying it’s not the men?”

“I’m saying it’s not the ones that have been here a long time. New workers who don’t know the structure of the city might feel the need.” Ed said. “Was anyone hired recently?”

“Depends on what you mean by recently.” The foreman laughed, “We get drifters coming through every now and then. They stick around until either the Guild Master hires them or sends them on their way. Ain’t never had trouble with them before.”

“Hmm… do you keep track of them?” Ed wondered aloud.

“Of course.” The foreman said, turning to his cabinet. Pulling a key out from under his shirt, he opened the cabinet up. “I’ve got a list of all employees that have come through, drift or not, from the past five years and the shipments that line up with their work time. You’re welcome to go through the records if you’d like.”

Outside, a sharp whistle pierced the air.

“That’d be the sound of my break ending.” the man said, scratching at his beard. “Next break starts at five. I’ll be back around if you find anything.”

“Thanks.” Ed said as he migrated to the cabinet. Pulling the first, most recent box down, he took a seat and began to work. Al posted himself right outside the door after the foreman left, keeping watch on his brother.

*          *          *          *          *

A few miles east, on the border of Amestria and the desert, a caravan of three crested the steep hill. The ground had turned from sand to hard stone an hour or two back, making it easier for the horses they mounted to move.

“Wow…” one of the figures said, tugging at the cloth mask to breathe in the clean air. “After seeing nothing but desert for days, who’d’ve known that steep, scraggly hills would be so beautiful?”

“Young Master.” One of the other two said, “You must be careful what you say. Though Xing and Amestria have been allies for centuries, an heir to royalty would be an offer not easily passed up.”

“Calm down, old man, I know not to go spouting stuff off. I’m just a traveler from a distant land, excited to see the world!” The man said, “Besides, that’s what I have you and Lan Fan for –to keep my dumb self out of trouble.”

The third figure coughed as if trying to cover a laugh. The older man sighed, “Hopefully, our presences won’t be too necessary.”

The prince cackled and urged his horse faster, “Now come on! I want to see the land where golems were born!”

*          *          *          *          *

When golems first began to emerge within Amestria, other countries took notice. Some grew wary of the inhuman forces that needed to neither eat nor sleep. Others grew enamored with the detail and uniqueness of golem form. Nearly every country squabble over the power for reason of their own –all, that is, except Xing.

A powerful nation in its own right, Xing banned the creation of golems within its borders for reasons unknown to foreigners. Golems were allowed admittance through the country, but the buying and selling of the creatures was prohibited with the punishment of incarceration and, in some cases, death.

The other nations scratched their heads at the Xingese actions, but the people of Xing knew the truth about the golems; for once, many years before the creation became common practice in Amestria, a single crafter made his way to the Xingese palace.

With him, he brought nothing but a small, leather-bound book from which not a single person could read but him.


	10. Tenth Stop: Liar's Nest

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I don't own Fullmetal Alchemist or its characters.
> 
> The world, however, is mine and currently under development. If it inspires you, feel free to write more in the world. I always like reading new stories, so make sure to tag my story as inspiration so I can find your story that much faster.
> 
> ***HIATUS NOTE: Sorry about that everyone, I was not planning to take a 7 ish week hiatus. I got sick for about three weeks in there and by the time I got better, homework was piled up and finals were around the corner. I hope to be more consistent, but you all know how real life goes. Thank you for continuing to read my work.

“The Elrics?” The small time guild master scratched at his head. “Yeah, I remember him. He was here last month picking up his tools. He was a good worker, good skill, always got his work in on time. I’m not surprised at all to hear that he made Golem Lord. That lad was too good for us anyway. Sad to see him go though. He could be rowdy at times. It kept this place lively.”

“Yeah, that sounds like Edward.” Maes laughed, writing down notes in his notepad. “How often did he come by?”

“Before he left? About once a week or so.” The guild master answered, wiggling his mustache in thought. “Before the fire, though, he’d be here every day. That was back when he still had his brother to look after though, so…”

“Did his brother leave?” Maes asked, frowning.

The guild master gave him a hard look. “You sure that you know Edward Elric?”

“I think I do.” Maes said, rifling through his pockets to pull out a piece of paper. Roy had taken a few minutes to sketch up a profile with likeness so eerie that it could have been a photo, but wasn’t. The skill of a Golem Lord, right?

The guild master scrutinized the sketch for several minutes before sighing and crossing his arms. “Yeah, that’s Edward all right. Hasn’t changed a bit. He’s still got that constant frown on his face. He hasn’t told you what happened?”

“Not me.” Maes clarified. “He’s told Guild Master Mustang, but I’m here to verify facts –a background check of sorts. If my account matches up with Ed’s story, he’s free to complete his initiation test. If he’s been lying to us…well~ let’s just say he won’t be welcome at our guild or any other.”

“Now you listen here.” The guild master frowned deeply. “That boy has never been anything by honest. If you’re here to dig up old wounds, then you best turn right back around and leave. Nobody here will be willing to help you out.”

“Not wounds, just facts.” Maes assured, holding up his hands in mock-surrender a soothing smile on his face. “So, you said his brother left?”

The man regarded him for a few more minutes before shaking his head. “You want the real story, you need to go to Resembool. Ed’s home is up there. The town is small, but sprawling. Here’s a number. Call ahead to Pinako. She might just tell you what you’re looking for. But make no mistake –if she thinks your sticking your nose where it don’t belong, she’ll shut you out. Then no one will talk.”

“R-Right.” Maes’ smile weakened, but his courage didn’t. All this talk had him very curious. Just what was Edward Elric hiding? Tucking the slip of paper with the number on it into his pocket, Hughes headed out, looking for the nearest phone. He’d have to call ahead and sweet talk his way up.

But first, time to call Gracia. It had been two hours since he’d last heard her angelic voice!

*          *          *          *          *

It had been several hours since his brother had first started searching through old records. Al heard the occasional curse, but other than that, nothing. The golem was biting at the bit to help dig through the years of shipments and migrant workers, but he had to keep up appearances.

Not for the first time, Al wished that he could just be human all the time and not have to deal with this charade, but he knew they wouldn’t be here in the first place if that were the case. Instead, they’d be at home, Al bed-ridden and surrounded by the empty golems that Brother created and Brother working day in and day out at the local guild in order to keep their house and put food on the table.

If Al could cry, he imagined he’d be doing it now. But Golems couldn’t cry –they had no tears to free.

A particularly loud shout broke Al out of his reverie.

“SHIT!”

“Brother?” Al whispered, peering in.

“It doesn’t make sense!” Ed dug his fingers through his hair, messing up his braid and tugging random locks free. “I’ve checked every shipment! Every worker! No one lines up with the missing supplies! Many overlap, but not a single one has remained for the entire case! It doesn’t make sense!”

On the inside, Al fidgeted nervously. He wanted to help his brother, but he knew people were watching. If they saw a golem acting like a human, they would grow suspicious. Just when he was starting to think he could sneak in and whisper encouragement to his brother, another voice piped up, nearly causing the golem to jump.

“If you need help, you can always ask the other overseer.” The foreman said as he loped into the small office.

“…Other overseer?” One gold eye peered up from under a pair of folded arms.

“Yeah, came here about two months ago.” The foreman shrugged and continued, “Said Guild Master Mustang told him to check into the missing supplies. He said that he was supposed to stay after, as a local guild outpost.”

“This guy, who is he?” Edward demanded, standing up and coming around the desk. “And where is he?”

“Golem Lord Yoki,” the foreman answered, a confused look on his face. “He requested a house be built for him up on the hill up there –a mansion really, but we told him that was ridiculous. He’s usually here at the end of work day to check the ore that we mine. He should be here soon.”

“Golem Lord?” Edward mumbled to himself. Something wasn’t adding up. Alphonse could see that his brother was already connecting the dots and not liking what he found. “This guy, you’re sure he was from the Smelting Guild?”

“Yeah, had a letter and everything.” The foreman said, gesturing for the two to follow him. “Had the official Smelting Guild watch as proof. Pure silver, made to specifications –boasts about it a lot.”

“The Smelting Guild watch?” Edward’s eyes widened in shock.

“You have one too, right?” the foreman gave him a suspicious look.

“No.” Edward answered honestly. “It’s the initiation test. I haven’t made it that far yet. I’m here on probation only… as far as I knew, that’s every member of the guild.”

“Maybe your Guild Master didn’t introduce you, yet?” the foreman asked, his brow furrowing.

“Maybe…” Ed said, neither agreeing nor disagreeing. The trio were nearing the mines where the daily loads were being dumped and scavenged by workers. Some crates off to the side were full of ores, a few had gems mixed in.

“Those crates will be sorted and counted.” The foreman gestured to the crates. “The ore will be melted down and the impurities filtered out –through the process of-!”

“Smelting.” Edward finished, “Then the metal will be cooled and shaped in its refined form, sometimes mixed with other metals in order to give different attributes such as strength or shine. It’s a common process in guilds that work with metal.”

“At least you know what it means.” The foreman gruffed. “I had to spell it out for Yoki.” The man eyed Alphonse. “He must not work with metal as much as you do.”

“Must not.” Ed repeated, a steely look in his eyes. “Is that him?”

A figure had approached the crates, looking over the contents with a clipboard and set of papers. The man was pale with black, thinning hair. If Edward could sum up his appearance in one word, it would be ‘sleazy’.

It appeared that he was tallying up the day’s finds, but Edward wasn’t so sure. The blond suspected that the man was only checking out what had been unearthed in order to figure out what would fetch a fair price.

“Yeah, that’s him.” The foreman said, before shouting, “Hey, Yoki!”

“That’s _Golem Lord_ Yoki to you!” the man sniffed haughtily, leaning back to make a few tallies on his papers before finally turning his attention onto the trio. “Can I help you, Foreman?”

“Yeah, Guild Master Mustang just sent these two down to help you with the missing supplies. Figured I’d introduce you.” The foreman said, voice a tad icy. If anything he’d said up to this point was any indication, the foreman and Yoki had no love lost between them.

“Edward Elric.” Edward said, holding out his left hand to shake. “New Golem Lord, probation member to Smelting Guild.”

“ _Probation_ , feh.” Yoki turned up his nose. “Like a young thing like you would be able to help.”

_Young?_ Edward felt a vein in his forehead start to twitch. He gritted his teeth until he could hear them grinding. Al pressed a metal hand to his back, hoping to calm him down. The blond took a deep breath before pasting on a fake smile.

“Yeah, probation member.” Ed tilted his head to the side, playing up the ‘innocent boy’ act. “I get sent on all kinds of small jobs and stuff. It’s odd though, Mustang didn’t tell me that someone else was down here.”

“He…must have forgotten.” Yoki brushed him off, “I’ve been here for two months now. Things tend to get brushed aside. What is that saying? ‘Out of sight, out of mind’?”

“Oh yeah~, I can see that.” Ed replied, voice high with gossip. “The amount of paperwork on his desk was _huge_! I’m surprised that he can find anything in that mess!”

“Yes, see?” the man’s shoulders sagged in relief. “Guild Master Mustang must just have overlooked my current assignment.”

“Yeah, no, I totally get it.” Ed waved a hand flippantly before fixing Yoki with an expectant stare. “By the way, how did you get past the initiation? I’ve heard it’s the hardest one to beat!”

“You mean the one where you craft the silver watch?” Yoki smirked, pulling on a silver chain at his breast pocket to reveal a sliver of a pocket watch.

“Yeah!” Ed gushed, “I’ve tried, like, five times now and I just can’t seem to get it! Care to give a little probation member a hint?”

“Of _course_.” Yoki smooshed, pulling the watch out entirely. “A little advice can go a long way.”

He handed over the watch before continuing with his lecture. “As you can see, the watch is perfectly replicated down to the last millimeter. Now, of course, it takes _years_ of skill and experience to be able to make such a perfect specimen. I’m sure, with more experience, you’ll be able to do the same… eventually.”

As Yoki continued to prattle on, Ed examined the watch, turning it this way and that just like he had seen Guild Master Bastard do to his own twenty-seven copies. The blond couldn’t help but wince at the craftsmanship, or lack thereof. The lines on front were crooked and the silver had small pits that, to the normal eye, would have been invisible. However, if Yoki were the Golem Lord he claimed to be, the pits should have stuck out like a sour thumb.

Edward rolled his eyes as Yoki emphasized on his skills as a crafter.

“So, you made this _exactly_ like the blueprints?” Edward looked up, eyes wide, “Exactly, like them?”

“ _Yes,_ that’s what I said.” Yoki sniffed, “Honestly, young people these days just don’t want to listen-!”

“That’s funny because I could have sworn the hint to passing the initiation test was to make a watch only. It had nothing to do with the design.” Edward said, dropping the act to flash Yoki an unimpressed look.

“What… what are you talking about?” Yoki sputtered, reaching for his watch. “Whoever told you that was wron-!”

“So Recruiter Maes, the best friend of Guild Master Mustang, was _wrong_?” Edward questioned, side-stepping Yoki’s reaching hands. “I really doubt that, Mr. Yoki.”

“That’s _Golem Lord_ Yoki-!”

“Oh yeah, you did get your license, didn’t you?” Edward ducked behind Al. “When was it? Three days ago?”

“It was three _months_ -!”

“No, I could have _sworn_ I saw your name on the banner last week. Right. Below. Mine.” Edward shot him a shark-like grin.

“Why you little-!” Yoki lunged at him, but a metal arm shot between them. “Eep!”

“Good work, Al!” Ed patted the metal torso of his brother. “Mr. Foreman, do you have a couple of guys that we could borrow? I have a feeling that we might find that missing supplies of yours in Yoki’s house.”

“You little _brat_! Unhand me this _instant_!” Yoki struggled uselessly in Al’s arms.

“ _Who are you calling a brat that can’t even wipe his own nose, you asshole?!_ ” Edward screeched as he attempted to beat Yoki senseless. Unfortunately for him, Al held the man just a little too high for Ed to reach. At least the guy would have bruised shins for the next few weeks.

“Um… I rounded up some men from the inn.” The foreman said, scratching at his head. “Do you want to take a look at his house now?”

“Yeah, let’s go.” Ed let out a long breath, trying to get his agitated nerves under control. He could feel the prickle of anger still, but he knew he couldn’t let it take him over. So shaking his head to clear the fog, he started forward.

“Should we put Yoki in the local holding for now?” the foreman asked.

“No need. Al can hold him.” The blond waved him off, “Let’s just get to his house and get this search over with.”

“Yes sir, Golem Lord Edward.” The foreman said gruffly.

Edward shuddered, “Please _never_ call me that again. Edward is just fine. Actually, Ed is even better.”

The foreman blinked, then his face stretched out in a broad grin. “I like you, Ed. You’re something else.”

“’Suppose you could say that.” Edward grumbled, scratching at his nose. “Hey, Al! Can I get a lift?”

The golem stooped just low enough for the teen to climb up on his shoulder, then stood, keeping Yoki firmly under his arm. Once he was settled, the blond looked to the foreman, “Lead the way!”

“Come on, men!”

*          *          *          *          *

“Yes, thank you, Ms. Pinako.” Maes chuckled weakly. “I’ll be sure to see you first thing tomorrow morning! All right! Take care!”

As he hung up the phone, Maes let out a weary sigh. “That woman is almost as terrifying as Hawkeye! Maybe they’re related?”

Stretching, Maes looked around for an inn for the night, wondering if he could convince Roy to buy an extension down there. It would be a new territory with little Golem Lord interference, but then again, it was pretty far away from an activity hub.

Letting out a sigh, the raven-haired man resigned himself to overnight stays at the local inn for the foreseeable future.

*          *          *          *          *

The walk was short, but the house was much farther away from town than any other house, by half or more. When they finally came upon it, Edward almost turned up his nose immediately upon seeing the house. Where all the village houses were modest one or two stories, this house had three stories and a separate workshop add-on that had all of the finest renovations. It wouldn’t look out of place in a city like Central, but out here in the country it stuck out like a sore thumb.

“Wow, Yoki, you’re a greedy old man, on top of being a liar and thief!” Edward droned, leaning his head against Al’s helmet.

“Where do we start looking?” the foreman asked, looking up at Ed. The blonde slipped gracefully from Al’s shoulder and landed on the ground with a light thump. He wandered over to the door, jiggling the handle.

“Hey, Yoki, you got a key for us?” Ed asked, pointing to the handle.

“If you think I’m going to let you _defile_ _my home_ and-!”

“I’ll take that as a ‘no’. It’s okay, Al wouldn’t have fit if we just opened it anyway.” Ed said with a dark smile on his face, taking a few steps back. “Al? Break the door down.”

On command, the golem crouched, keeping his body perpendicular to the door –one shoulder towards, one away. Kicking off the ground, he bust through the door in a single movement, splintering the frame and shattering the door completely. Once inside, he stood quietly, trying to appear like the hollow golem he was supposed to be.

“Good work, Al!” Ed said, patting his brother on the arm. “Sorry about the door, guys.”

“’S fine.” The foreman said, “We’ll probably tear it down after he’s been taken care of.”

“Darn shame.” Ed said, looking around at the opulent furniture that littered the rooms. “It’s not too shabby of a place. You know, if it was taken down to two floors instead of three.”

“It’s got a basement too.”

“Basement?” Ed let out a whistle. “A lot of work must have gone into this place! You guys are great at construction work!”

“Aw shucks.” The foreman rubbed a hand through his dusty hair. “It’s nothing, really.”

“Shame you had to make it for this guy.” Ed continued, wandering over to look up the stairs. He felt curiosity prickle at the base of his neck, making the hairs there stand on end, but it was only that. He put a single foot on the bottom step, pondering exploring upstairs before shaking his head and turning around. “So how do we get to the basement?”

“That door there.” The foreman nodded a door on his left. Glancing over, Edward approached slowly, feel anxiety start to creep up his spine. Reaching out with his left hand, he opened the door, feeling the anxiety spike.

“I have a feeling it’s down here.” Edward said as he started down the stairs.

“Gut feeling?” the foreman asked, confused, but followed anyway. The men he had with him followed after with Al taking up the end.

“I liken thieves to pirates.” Edward said haughtily, “What do they do with their treasures? Bury them. It just so happens that it would be in the basement instead of the floorboards. It’s also somewhere guests wouldn’t be able to enter without a fair amount of scrutiny.”

“Makes sense.” The foreman said as they made it to the last step. He flipped on the light switches off to the right. “But where down here?”

“I’m working on it.” Edward groused, looking around. He walked a slow circle, feeling the anxiety grow as he wandered the room. Ever so slowly, he pinpointed the peak of anxiety, finding himself in front of an egotistic portrait of Yoki himself. The quality was too well-done to be from the man. The blond wondered briefly where the thief had gotten it done before kicking at the wooden floorboards beneath him.

“What’s under these?” Ed asked, pointing to the wooden beams. They hadn’t sounded hollow, but he wanted to be sure.

“About two feet of solid cement.” The foreman answered. Ed frowned, looking back at the floor before turning his face back to the portrait.

_Come on, think… where would I hide something like this? If the floor isn’t an option…_ Edward stepped forward, running his hands along the wall. Pressing his cheek to the plaster, he eyed the surface. It looked slightly crooked from the corners. While Ed was tempted to blame it on construction, all of the other walls looked straight, so that could only mean…

_Thunk-Thunk!_

“Hah, hollow!” Ed laughed, “Any of you got a hammer? We’ll need to take this portrait down too.”

“Come on, men.”

“How _dare_ you come into _my_ home and tear apart my _walls_ on some baseless _lies_!” Yoki screamed from his prison in Al’s iron grip. “You jealous _heathens_! You just don’t realize how _hard I’ve worked-!_ ”

“Baseless lies?” Edward snapped, anger coursing through him and digging at his flesh. His left hand tightened around the silver watch he had confiscated; the sharp, unskilled edges digging into his skin. “Heathens? _How hard you’ve worked?!_ ”

Behind him, the wall crumbled in bits and pieces. The portrait had been set to the side, lying face-down on the floor boards. The men were making noises as a small cache of jewels and precious metals was slowly unearthed.

“You don’t know the meaning of hard work!” Ed shouted, baring his teeth like a wild animal. His eyes burned with his rage like a fire had lit them from inside. “ _Years_ of effort goes into everything a _true_ Golem Lord does! Patience, creativity, suffering –everything that goes into artwork is a part of the artist himself!”

His hand tightened around the silver watch, blood welling up from where the uneven edges cut into his skin. Edward couldn’t help but go back to every night since his apprenticeship at the guild had started. Every time, he had gone home, begging Fate or whatever there was that Al would still be alive, would still be there for him when he got back. Every time, he had to get up the next morning and go out and live it all over again.

Even now, with Al as a golem, Ed was trying as hard as he could to restore his brother’s humanity, fighting against all odds in order to bring his family back.

And this man was going on about the hard work of stealing from people who had no money and no want for anything. He was the lowest of the low.

“You are nothing but a fraud!” the blonde growled, right up in Yoki’s face. The bastard had the audacity to look _scared_. “If it were up to me, you’d be buried up to your neck and taking retribution from the people you _swindled_!”

Ed drew back with a dark look on his face. “But it’s not up to me. Be grateful for that.”

“Ed?” the foreman asked, sounding hesitant. “We found the supplies. Everything is here and accounted for –except for a bar of silver.”

“I’m assuming that he made _this_ with it.” Ed sighed, swinging the pocket watch into view. The lines had straightened and the pits been removed, not that the workers would be able to tell.

 Ed winced. He hadn’t meant to use his powers on the watch, but that tended to happen when he got blood on materials. He’d have to disinfect his hand later to make sure nothing got into his wounds.

“Well, I can take this with me when I go.” Ed said, putting the pocket watch away. “Would you guys mind putting the rest with the next shipment you send out?”

“No problem!” the foreman said, cracking a grin. “Want us to take care of him too?”

The blond looked back at the pale man. “Suppose so. It’ll be too much trouble if he tries to escape while we’re on the train. I’ll tell Guild Master Mustang about him and let someone with actual rank deal with it. ‘Til then, you’ve got a nice lock-up, in this town, right?”

“I like you, Ed!” the foreman laughed as they made their way up from the basement. “You should ask for an assignment out here. We could use more folk like you!”

“Thanks, but I’ve got some things to take care of right now.” Ed smiled weakly. “I can’t settle down until I’ve accomplished what I need to do.”

“Ah, that’s how it is.” The foreman sighed. “At least let us put you up for the night.”

“Al and I really need to get back to Mustang.” Ed frowned. “When is the next bus?”

“At the next bell.” The foreman said, right as the bell from town rung, striking six times. “And it looks like you’ve missed it.”

“Wha-what?!” Ed stuttered, running out the front door and looking towards town. It’d be at least a fifteen minute hike back, not including dealing with Yoki and any other paperwork. By then, the bus will have definitely left. “Shiiiit…”

“No worries! Like I said, we can put you up for the night!” the foreman set a heavy palm on Ed’s right shoulder, making the blonde grimace. “I take care of the inn back at town and my wife makes a mean chicken pot-pie. Fills you right up.”

At that, Ed’s stomach growled loudly, making its agreement known.

Al was frowning inside. When had Brother last eaten? It hadn’t been in town, they’d jumped onto the bus as soon as their train had come it. It wasn’t on the locomotive either, Brother had slept. Had he eaten anything that morning?

Al needed to keep better track of Brother’s diet. Just because Al no longer needed to eat, didn’t mean Brother didn’t.

“It’s settled!” the foreman said with gusto. “Everyone! Dinner’s on me!”

The other workers cheered as they walked back to town at a leisurely pace. The foreman ruffled Ed’s hair, making the messy braid even messier. Inside, Al felt a warm glow alight. At least for now, Ed could relax and be happy.

At least, for now.

*          *          *          *          *

Two figures stood on a hill just outside of Central. The sun had long set, leaving the two surrounded in darkness, lit only by the moon. One inhaled deeply.

“Smell that, Gluttony?” the figure asked, “The scent of that traitor bastard is in the air.”

“Can I eat him, Envy?” the shorter asked, finger half-way in his mouth. “Please, can I eat him?”

“Not this one, Gluttony. That bastard is _mine_.” Envy replied with a sharp smile. “But I’ve heard he has two kids –that’s plenty for you to snack on, right?”

“Yeah! Food, food!” Gluttony cheered, “Kids always taste so good, so tender and juicy!”

“Remember, Gluttony, the key first.” The taller figure reminded, “Then you can eat all you want.”

*          *          *          *          *

When the act of creating a golem was still new, many crafters tried to use materials that were far-fetched, things like charcoal and ice. Surprisingly, these worked just fine. Golems made of ice were imbued with magic to never melt. Charcoal granted the golem the ability to create fire or burst into flames.

However, there were some that tried to use a more plausible material –wood. When crafted, these golems would be fine for a while, but something was always off. The creatures made even the bravest of men shiver under their empty gaze. Something was not right with them and every time the crafter soon destroyed the golem by his own hand.

And so, these golems, these _puppets,_ became outlawed within Amestria and soon, the world at large.


	11. Eleventh Stop: Return to the Past

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I don't own Fullmetal Alchemist or its characters.
> 
> The world, however, is mine and currently under development. If it inspires you, feel free to write more in the world. I always like reading new stories, so make sure to tag my story as inspiration so I can find your story that much faster.

“Yeah, Mustang.” Ed sighed into the phone. “We caught the guy. He’s being held here in lock-up for now. You might want to send one of your guys down to pick him up.”

“ _I’ll have Maes escort him back after his own mission._ ” The guild master responded. “ _When are you planning to return?_ ”

“Well, the last bus already left, so we’re staying the night at least.” Ed blinked his eyes tiredly. They were starting to burn with exhaustion. Even after his nap on the train, he needed to shut down and recharge. Dealing with so many people in one day was tiring.

“ _In that case, head to East City. I plan on returning to the guild headquarters in the morning._ ” Mustang stated. “ _All work in Central is finished, so for the time being, I will be taking residence there. I expect a report when you get in._ ”

“Sure, whatever.” Ed grumbled. He wanted to rub at his eyes, but with so many people around, the chance of his scars being seen was high. The thought that someone would see the reminder of his mistakes didn’t set well with him. Instead, he continued to hold the phone with his left hand and closed his eyes tightly against the burn.

“ _Good. After that, I’ll have another assignment ready for you._ ”

“Work me like a dog, why don’t’cha?”

“ _I plan to._ ”

“Ha-ha.” Ed laughed humorlessly before hanging up. He patted Al’s arm before heading back to the inn where the lights were on and loud laughter filled the air. He stopped right outside the inn, looking at Al forlornly. “Are you going to be okay out here?”

Surreptitiously, the golem checked the scene for eavesdroppers before whispering lowly. “I’ll be fine, Brother. A little cold won’t hurt me. Besides, these people aren’t bad! They only use golems in the mines where it’s too dangerous for humans. I should be safe from being stolen.”

“If anything happens, you call for me.” Ed ordered sternly. “I don’t care if it blows our cover and outs you as a… I don’t care. I want you safe more than I want you hidden.”

Al nodded his consent and made himself comfortable standing at attention at the door of the inn.

Ed gives him a smile in surrender before walking into the inn.

“There he is!” the foreman shouts, lifting a flask of beer. “The crafter that found our thief, Edward Elric!”

“Huzzah!” the other men shouted, knocking drinks together. Some liquid spilled over into other glasses, but no one seemed to care.

“A slice of my wife’s chicken pot pie,” the foreman said as the lady from town set down a plate in front of the blonde. “As promised! Best in the land!”

“Oh, you flatterer!” the woman smacked him with her towel, but smiled none-the-less. Ed’s reddened at the exchanged, so he tried to focus on the food in front of him. It wasn’t hard after the first bite.

“This is _amazing_!” the teen managed to get out between mouthfuls. The piece in front of him was demolished in minutes. The foreman and his wife looked on in shock.

“Do you… want more?” the foreman asked.

“Can I?” Ed’s eyes were wide, like the thought hadn’t occurred to him to ask for seconds.

“Of course!” the lady said, taking his dish away. “You’re so skinny! You need a good meal!”

“Th-thank you!” Ed flushed at the comment, pulling his cloak tighter around him. The foreman noticed this.

“Why don’t you take off your coat and stay a while?” the man prompted.

“N-no thanks, I… get cold easily?” Ed smiled nervously.

“Thin as you are, I don’t doubt it.” The lady said as she came back, placing another plate in front of him, this time with twice the serving size. Ed unconsciously wiped at the drool on his chin.

“Thank you!” he said with gusto as he tore into the second helping.

“So Ed, how old are you?” the foreman asked.

“Fourteen.” The blonde said between bites. He swallowed thickly, wishing he had something to drink.

“You want some milk, dear?” the woman asked with a smile.

“Water, actually. If you have some?” Ed frowned. _Milk, as if._

“Be right back.”

“Fourteen?” the foreman repeated. Ed made a noise of confirmation. “That’s pretty young to be a Golem Lord.”

“Thank you.” Ed said as the lady place a glass of water next to his plate. Taking two big gulps, he started back in. “I’ve been able to make golems since I was… nine? I think that’s right.”

“At such a young age!” the lady exclaimed, “That’s not normal, is it?”

“No, it’s not.” Ed said quietly, left hand gripping his right wrist under the counter. The foreman and his wife exchanged a look.

“I bet your parents were proud.” The foreman hedged, trying to lighten the subject.

“I’m sure Mom would have been.” Ed picked up his fork to stab at the pot pie again, “Not so sure about Dad. It’s been a while since I’ve seen him.”

The two exchanged another look. The wife made a pointed gesture with her hands and the towel. The foreman rolled his eyes and made a ‘what can you do’ shrug with his shoulders. Fed up, the wife asked the teen, “Where are you staying now, Ed?”

“Right now?” Ed looked up from his nearly empty plate. “Technically, I live where the guild tells me to. I’ve only been with the guild for a few days, so I don’t have any permanent place. I used to live in Resembool, but there’s no extension down there.”

“So where are you returning to?” the foreman asked, frowning.

“Guild Master Mustang told me to return to East City for my next assignment.” Ed licked his fork, trying to get all of the gravy left on the plate. “After that, I’ll probably be off somewhere else.”

“You know, you’re always welcome to ask for a position up here.” The foreman said, “We still have Yoki’s house up there. It wouldn’t be too much work to spruce it up for you.”

“Thanks for the offer, but…” Ed glanced down at the silver pocket watch he’d taken from Yoki. He’d tied the ends of the chain together to form a necklace of sorts since he didn’t have many pockets of his own. It was easier to keep track of like this anyway. Looking back up, he gave them a determined look. “There’s something important I have to do before I can think of anything else.”

The foreman and his wife stared at him before the woman drew herself up, “Well, you’ll always have a place here for you if you ever change your mind.”

“Thanks.” Ed said with a smile.  Just as he spoke, the doors to the inn flew open. A group of three workers pushed their way inside.

“Foreman!” the front guy called as he led the way over. “We found this guy out near the mines! He said that he got separated from his caravan, but with Yoki and all, I didn’t want to take any chances.”

“No, I’m serious! I really just got separated! I’ve been wandering for the past hour or so! For real!” a fourth man, held between the other two workers pleaded. “We were heading to Central, but I lost my way! I was just looking at the caves as a means to settle for the night! Honest!”

“Anyone who’s seen a cave would know that those mines aren’t one.” The foreman said gruffly, setting his drink down.

“Please, just wait for the rest of my party! They’ll explain everything!” the man continued to beg, face growing worried even as he tried to smile reassuringly.

The foreman gave Ed a glance and with surprise, the blonde realized that the man was asking his opinion. Looking back at the trespasser, Ed took note of his features. The man had ink black hair pulled back in a messy ponytail. His eyes were so thin they were slits, something that only came from pure Xingese descent. His clothes, a turban and sand-colored cloak, were covered in dust.

Plus, when he spoke, Ed didn’t feel the slime of a lie rolling over his skin.

“I think he’s telling the truth.” Ed stated with a frown. “If he’s with the Xingese, the caravans that travel through here the most, he would be dressed for the desert travel, which he is. There’s also dust and sand caught on his clothes.”

Reaching out, Ed rubbed some off onto his fingers, checking that he was right. The feel beneath his finger pads was definitely gritty with just enough small particles to leave a fine layer of dust on his skin.

“He’s definitely just come from the desert.” Ed confirmed, “But I don’t know about the rest of his story.”

“You said you were heading to Central?” the foreman asked the man with a frown.

“Y-Yes! Me and my two companions!” the man clarified.

“Ed here will be traveling to East City tomorrow. I don’t think he’ll mind escorting you that far.” The foreman looked to Ed. The blonde grimaced, but nodded. “As for your companions, if they’re going to Central, they’ll have to pass through there. If we see them, we’ll point them that way. For tonight, we can offer you a bed.”

“I-I don’t have money with me.” The man said nervously as the two workers released his arms.

“We don’t work in money. This town was built on a land with a code.” The foreman replied. “You pay with your work. Since you’re just passing through, though, think of it as a good deed for the day.”

“Th-thank you, thank you very much!” the Xingese smiled brightly.

“But!” the foreman held up a hand. “If we see you come back through here without your companions and start sniffing through the mines again, we won’t hesitate to through you in the brig.”

“I understand completely!” the man said with a serious look on his face.

The foreman stared at him for a few more minutes, eyes sharp, before nodded, “Good. Now, eat.”

“Don’t mind if I do!” the Xingese said, sitting down right next to Ed as the workers wandered off to join their friends. “So you’re Ed?”

Edward gave him a suspicious look before answering, “Yeah, Edward Elric. You?”

“Ling.” The man answered. When he didn’t offer a surname, Ed just shrugged and offered to wash his own plate.

“Such a gentleman.” The foreman’s wife answered, leading him to the sink. He washed quickly, trying to keep his right hand out of sight as she wandered in and out, tending to her guests. Once he was done, he set the plate to dry, wiping off his hands, and peered back into the main room.

As soon as he was noticed, the foreman waved him over. “Your room is on the second floor at the end. The door should be unlocked.”

“Thanks.” Ed yawned. “When does the first bus come in?”

“At six o’clock sharp.” The foreman replied with a grin.

“Six o’clock?” Ed wilted. He’d been hoping for a full night’s sleep. So much for that.

“Don’t worry, we’ll give you a wake-up call.” The foreman’s wife waved off his concerns. Ed shot her a grateful look before turning to the stairs and climbing up. The further away from the horde of people he got, the more his shoulders relaxed. When he finally made it to the room at the end of the hall, Ed barely had time to take off his cloak and Yoki’s watch before he fell face-first onto the bed, sleep.

*          *          *          *          *

Bright and early the next morning, Maes was knocking on Pinako Rockbell’s door. He heard barking from inside and a sharp shout, “I’ll get it!”

When the door opened, it was to a young girl of about fourteen. She blinked at him, frowning. “I have a dog in here and he knows how to bite!”

Maes blinked at her. “Excuse me?”

“I have a dog!”

“Winry, it’s that man from Ed’s guild!” another voice called from further in. The look on the girl’s face said that she really didn’t care. “Let him in!”

“That was your only warning, buster!” she snapped before opening the door the rest of the way and turning to stomp off. Closing the door behind him, Maes spotted the dog that had been barking. It was an old thing, limping around on three legs instead of four, but Hughes doubted that would stop the dog if it was determined. He gave it a light pet before politely taking off his shoes.

“Maes Hughes.” An elderly lady croaked. She was shortened in her old age, only coming to his height when he sat. That didn’t make her any less intimidating, if any of the rumors he had heard back at Ed’s old guild were true.

“Pinako Rockbell, it’s a pleasure to meet you.” Maes held out a hand. She eyed it skeptically, but shook it none-the-less.

“You’re here about Edward.” She prompted, turning to lead the way to a sitting room.

“Yes.” He answered, “Guild Master Mustang wants me to do a background check on him.”

“How much do you already know?” she asked, “What has Ed said?”

“I don’t know.” Maes answered honestly, taking a seat on the couch. “Roy said that Edward had talked to him, but he wouldn’t say about what. If my story matches Ed’s, then things check out. If not… well, we’ll have to cancel Ed’s contract.”

“I see.” Pinako lit her pipe, thinking of the best way to answer. She didn’t want to delve too deep and lose the boys’ trusts, but she also didn’t want to keep too shallow and risk Ed’s chance at a ‘cure’. “What have you gathered so far?”

“I talked with the men at Ed’s previous guild.” Maes said, taking out his notebook and pen. “He told me Ed’s work ethic and schedule and how he used to go to the guild more often quote: ‘when he still had his brother to look after’. I have to say, I was under the impression that the Elric brothers were fairly close. From the way Ed talks and from the comments Roy has made, I didn’t think that Ed’s brother would just leave him to go off on his own? Was there some sort of falling out?”

Pinako sucked in a breath through her pipe, held it, and then let it out in a cloud of smoke. “As far as I am aware, Ed and Al were on good terms when Ed started his journey to become a Golem Lord. If Ed still says so and your guild master is under the same impression, I would assume the two haven’t had a fight.”

“But Al is not with Ed at the moment?” Maes continued, readying his pen.

“…Did the men at the guild tell you of the fire?” Pinako asked, letting out a puff of smoke. Rustling at the doorway signaled that Winry had taken up guard there, the old mutt sitting at her feet.

“No,” Maes answered truthfully. “There was a fire?”

“Lightning caught the Elric house on fire.” Pinako clarified. “The whole thing burned to the ground. Edward was still at work, but Alphonse was at home. He died in that fire.”

“He what-?” Hughes eyes widened in shock. The way that Ed and Roy spoke, the way that Pinako had started, it sounded like Alphonse was at least _alive_ if not with them, but this? He had no way to prepare for this.

“Ed was unable to cope with the grief. He had raced home when he suspected that the smoke was from his own home.” Pinako continued, “He had gone into that house, trying to save his brother, and got injured because of that. The next day, when there was nothing left but ashes, he went back to the ruins of his home. He was gone for hours, only coming back late that night to crawl into bed and cry himself to sleep. There was nothing Winry or I could do.”

Out of the corner of his eye, Maes saw the girl’s nose redden as she tried to hold back tears.

“The next morning, Al appeared on our doorstep.” Pinako sighed.

“Wait.” Maes held up a hand. “You said that he died in the fire. Which is it? Did he die? Or did he escape?”

“Both.” Pinako answered gruffly. “Al had been recovering from the Plague that came through a few years back. He could barely get out of bed most days, let alone out of the house. The creature that came to us that morning was able to walk from the Elric house to mine and stand there on two legs, waiting for Ed. It had Al’s face, Al’s memories, but it wasn’t Al.”

“How can you be sure?”

“The first thing he called Ed was ‘Master’.” Winry answered, silent tears streaming down her face. She wiped them away with a hand. “Al would never have done that!”

“Ed confessed to what he had been doing the day before. In his grief, he had made Al a tombstone out of the ruins of their home…then, with that same grief, he had tried to bring Al back.” Pinako tapped her pipe into a dish. “And succeeded.”

“Then Al… is a golem?” Maes frowned, “Ed performed the Sacrificial Rite?”

“He didn’t mean to!” Winry shouted.

“Not with intent.” Pinako said harshly, “But yes. The evidence is still there at that house. It’s on the next hill over.”

Maes stared down at his notebook and pen, trying to process everything. How old could Ed have been? The guild master said that Ed had stopped visiting so often a year or two ago. If Ed was fourteen now, he couldn’t have been more than twelve at the earliest.

To turn your own brother into a golem at the age of twelve… Maes had to wonder just how must suffering Ed had gone through already.

“What happened next?” He asked with a heavy heart. He needed all the facts.

“Edward vowed to turn Alphonse into a human again.” Pinako said. “He studied day and night, looking for ways. Eventually, he ran out of available material and set his eyes on the libraries of Golem Lords. I think you know the rest.”

“And his parents?” Maes asked, making a few quick notes, coded for protection.

“His mother died in the Plague. His father was here a few days ago.” Pinako said. “Before that, I hadn’t seen the man in ten years.”

“I see.” Maes rubbed at his bottom lip. “So Alphonse would be Ed’s only family left.”

“Yes.” Pinako answered quietly.

Maes made the last of his notes, put the notebook in his pocket and then ran a hand through his hair. His head hung low as he wondered how Roy could have kept this from him.

“Do you mind if I use your phone?” he asked, “I need to talk with the guild master.”

“You won’t be canceling Ed’s contract for something like this, will you?” Winry demanded.

“I’m sure that, in this case, we can make an exception.” Maes said with a reassuring smile. “But I definitely need to know if Ed’s story matches up with what you told me. If he lied to the guild master, you can understand if we don’t trust him enough to let him finish the initiation process.”

“I understand.” Pinako said, cutting off anything Winry had to say.

“Then, if you’ll excuse me.” Maes bowed before heading over to their phone. Dialing the number for the East City Guild, he tapped his foot impatiently. Roy had a lot of explaining to do.

*          *          *          *          *

When it became known that Amestria had the book that spoke the secrets of golems, many nations tried to take it from them. Wars were waged for the sake of a single tome. With golems on their side, Amestria was able to hold the offenders at bay, but their artisans could only make so many golems at a time. Able weapons were soon becoming scarce.

In order to appease its neighbors, Amestria transcribed copies of the book and presented it to each royal family or political leader in turn. The Drauchmans buried it in their royal libraries, away from common eyes. The Cretan government immediately set people out to research and decode the foreign words that keep the book’s secrets hidden.

The Xingese emperor took one look at its pages and declined the book. Outraged, the Amestrians demanded an explanation for the refusal of their gift. The reply was quick, but confusing: “We test not the loyalties of the golden ones.”

They would not speak more on the matter and quickly left for their own lands.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> PS -Some of you have mentioned that are two versions of the word for 'blonde', those being 'blonde' and 'blond'. Both are French, but the second one is the male version. In essence, you have complained that I was calling Ed a girl. 
> 
> I have spoken with my editor and she told that, while in French, the distinction is very strict, in English there is only one word for blonde (being that one). To use the other 'blond' would be grammatically incorrect since I am, indeed, writing in English -United States English, mind you.
> 
> This is just a short note to those who have mentioned this, my way of saying that: I am not ignoring you, it's just that it is not applicable to this situation.
> 
> Thank you and please keep giving me such great criticism. I learn knew things every day!


	12. Twelfth Stop: The Smelting Guild of East City

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I don't own Fullmetal Alchemist or its characters.
> 
> The world, however, is mine and currently under development. If it inspires you, feel free to write more in the world. I always like reading new stories, so make sure to tag my story as inspiration so I can find your story that much faster.
> 
> PS -I've been thinking about doing an AU contest for the FMA 'verse. Winner gets a gift fic from me. What do you guys think? Yay or nay?

Ed fidgeted in his seat, tapping the fingers of his left hand against the bicep of his right. Golden eyes strained to keep themselves on the window rather than their unwelcome guest. To his right, Al shifted slightly with the movement of the train. Taking up the other seat in the train compartment…

Ling would _not stop staring_.

“What?!” Ed finally exclaimed, fed up. “What is it?!”

“I’m sorry?” the Xingese blinked, face showing genuine surprise.

“You keep _staring_!” Ed growled, “What, never seen a Golem Lord before?!”

“Actually, I haven’t.” Ling laughed, “Xing has banned the creation, buying, and selling of humanoid golems. It’s not a great place for Golem Lords, as I’m sure you’re aware.”

Ed slumped in his seat with a huff. “Then shouldn’t you be more amazed by Al? He’s an _actual_ golem.”

“Mmm…” Ling tilted his head to give Al a glance before shrugging. “Seen one golem, seen them all.”

Ed rolled his eyes.

“Besides, you’re much more interesting!” Ling rested his chin in his hand. “Gold hair and eyes… that’s not a common trait in Amestria, is it?”

Unconsciously, Ed tugged at the end of his braid. He’d have to get Al to fix it soon. His fingers just weren’t up to the task at the moment –with one hand scarred and the other bandaged from that stupid watch.

“No, it’s not common.” Ed finally replied, tossing his hair over his shoulder, only to draw up his hood. “Blonde hair, yes. Eyes? Not so much.”

“Is it hereditary?” Ling continued.

“Mom and Pinako said as much.” Ed crossed his arms. “What does it matter? It’s just coloring. It’s not that special.”

“Not that special?” Ling shifted so that he was leaning in, eyes as wide as they could go as they seemed to stare into Ed’s soul. “You are a golden one.”

“A… what?” Ed shot him a dubious look. “Did you just call me a hooker or something?”

“No! I’m being serious!” Ling knit his fingers together and pressed his knuckles to his chin. “There is a very ancient tradition in Xing. Every few millennia, it seems, the so-called ‘golden ones’ appear. Their entire complexion is like the sun –their hair, their eyes, most times even their skin! With them can come calamity or prosperity, depending on the Xingese Emperor. If he finds favor with them, something good always follows. If not…”

“Let me guess, war breaks out or some other nonsense.” Edward grumbled, leaning against the window in order to stare out of it and hopefully ignore their foreign companion. “It’s just superstition. I’m not bringing anything with me and I’m not _giving_ you anything.”

“The golden ones always do, whether they know it or not.” Ling said, leaning back to cross his arms and legs, one over the other. “One of the more recent ones led to the union of all clans in Xing, not just as wives to the emperor, but a true family –one lineage. Another before then had been followed by war when the emperor had disrespected them. It’s what led to the original division of the clans in Xing.”

Ed shifted uneasily as he felt tension from Al to do the same. Al knew better, though, than to blow their cover for something like that. He was a smart kid.

“The last one…” Ling uncrossed his arms and looked down at his hands. “The last one led to the Silence.”

Ed frowned. The Silence was something that many people talked about and feared, but… thousands of years had gone by and not a single person knew what the Silence was –what had caused it, why it had happened, if it was still happening, or if it had ended. Ed had never put much stalk into it, but the way Ling sounded, it was as if…

“Do you know what the Silence is?” Ed asked, curious.

“I know what it did.” Ling said, leaning back and resting his head on the backrest, his eyes closed. “Before Golems, before the artists and crafters of our time, there used to be others –others with more power than we could even imagine. With one word, they could cause mountains to crumble or cities to burn. They could grow crops or flood fields. Their magic knew no bounds, not like golems which are constricted to the physical. I’ve heard that they could even raise the dead.”

Ed’s heart skipped a beat. The thought that he could bring the dead back to life, it was…

No, he couldn’t think about it. Besides, this was all in the past tense. For all he knew, it was some kind of fairy tale.

“If they’re so powerful, what happened?” Ed asked, half cocky, half curious.

“The Silence.” Ling answered, “It’s not that their words no longer worked, it was like they had forgotten every spell. All their manuscripts were illegible, all their words of power had been taken from them. It was during the war of the five great nations. In the midst of a bloody battle with curses raining down from both sides, everything just… stopped.”

Ed swallowed thickly.

“In Xing, the story goes that a single man stood between both sides.” Ling continued, “With hair the color of the sun, bloodied from the battle and eyes that gleamed with sands of the desert, the man brought the war to an end with a single word: Silence.”

Ed felt shivers go down his spine, but he promptly ignored them. Scoffing, he crossed his legs, “You Xingese are weird.”

“What, don’t your histories have the same?” Ling pressed, “If not the same, at least _similar_ , Come on, there’s got to be something!”

“There isn’t, not from what I’ve heard.” Ed brushed him off, looking out the window again to see East City pulling into view. “Amestria’s history has long since been buried. People speak of the Silence, but don’t know what it is. They speak of a dictator from thousands of years ago without an idea of the man’s name. They speak of strange arts that turn elements into others, but not a single document remains.”

Ed sighed. “They speak of many things, but the only thing that matters is the here and now. I’m not your ‘golden one’, Ling. That is nothing more than a fairy tale.”

Anything Ling would have said was cut off when the train whistle blew, signaling their arrival in East City.

*          *          *          *          *

“Roy, I don’t know what you were _thinking_ -!” Maes yelled in a hushed whisper. He could see the girl, Winry, trying to eavesdrop from the end of the hall. She really didn’t need to hear him yell at his superior/friend.

“ _Have you found some information, Hughes?_ ” Roy asked from the other end.

“Yes, I found some _information_!” Maes shot back. “You never told me that Edward had done… _that_!”

“ _That?_ ” Roy repeated.

“Yes! That! The…” Maes checked over his shoulder. The girl had crept closer in her need to know everything. She was trying to hide behind an old grandfather clock, but she wasn’t the pre-teen she used to be. Maes frowned and turned back to the receiver, voice quieter than before. “The Sacrificial Rite.”

“ _Ah, so their story checks out._ ” Roy said, voice calm, as if he had already dismissed the conversation.

“So their story-?! _Roy!_ Edward not only completed the Sacrificial Rite, but he did it _without knowing how_!” Maes whispered harshly into the phone. “And he made his brother into a _golem_ that-! Oh no.”

“ _Maes? What is it?_ ”

“That golem… Alphonse Elric is the golem that follows Ed around, isn’t he?” the realization struck Maes dumb.

“ _Yes, that is an accurate statement._ ” Roy said, sounding a little concerned, “ _Maes, if working with Edward and Alphonse is going to make you uncomfortable-?_ ”

“Not me, them!” Maes buried his face in his free hand. “The first time I met them, I tried to buy Ed’s golem. _I tried to buy a teenage boy from his own brother! I was attempting human trafficking!_ Wait, is it still human trafficking if it’s a golem? Human-ish? Does the golem still act like Al or a golem?”

“ _Hughes, I’m going to have to go. Edward is going to be here any minute now, since his train from Youswell just came in. Speaking of, I need you to pick someone up for me from the mines. Edward was able to find the culprit to our missing supplies._ ”

“Roy.” Maes stated carefully, “I am having an existential crisis here and you want me to pick up a thief on the way home.”

“ _I’m glad you understand._ ” Roy said, “ _Goodbye, Hughes._ ”

“Roy!” Maes shouted into the phone, but the guild master had already hung up. Maes had a few choice words he wanted to yell into the phone, but there was a lady a few feet away from him and a young one at that. Sighing, he hung up the phone and scrubbed at his face before turning to Winry.

“Is he letting Ed stay?” Winry asked seriously.

“Of course he is.” Maes sighed, “Roy already knew the whole story, I was just sent as a secondary source. By now, Ed’s probably in East City getting his next assignment.”

At that, Winry seemed to melt with relief. Maes was surprised by the amount of tension the young girl had. Did she really care that much about Edward?

“Edward, Alphonse and I have grown up together.” Winry stated, seeming to answer Maes’ question. “The two of them were always closer, but I somehow was accepted by them. The other kids in school never seemed to get them quite like I did, even though… even though, most of the time, I don’t understand them at all.”

She looked up, happy tears caught in her lashes. “I’m just glad that Ed’s closer to his goal. When he finds a way, Al will become human again.”

Maes smiled at the childish hope of the young girl. “Do you really believe there’s a way to do that?”

“If there isn’t, Ed will _make_ a way!” She said, sternly –like the thought that Ed might not succeed never occurred to her.

“If you say so, I’m sure it’s true.” Maes laughed. Ruffling her hair, he stepped around her to go back to the sitting room. Finding Pinako where she’d been when he’d left, he bowed he head to her. “Thank you very much for your time today. If you don’t mind, I would like to see the Elric house before I leave.”

“It’s not my business what you do.” She said flippantly. “Like I said, the house is on the next hill over. You can see it from here. Winry, we have those orders to fill for the guild. Get the smithy ready.”

“Right, Grandma!”

Seeing the dismissal as it was, Maes bowed again before heading to the door. Putting on his shoes, he gave the dog a rough pat, making its tail wag, before heading out. Closing the door behind him, Maes searched the horizon for the hill that Pinako spoke of. Finding it, he tugged his jacket tighter around his shoulders and started forward.

*          *          *          *          *

Getting rid of Ling was a pain, but Ed was finally able to shake the guy somewhere in the restaurant district. Once he realized the man was gone, he and Al sprinted to the East City Guild Headquarters building without once looking back.

“I can’t believe that guy.” Ed sighed as he opened the door. “Talking about ‘golden ones’ and calamity. It’s a bunch of trash is what is it.”

Al was silent, but Ed could feel his agreement as he stepped over the threshold of the door. Immediately, the two were stopped by the sound of a gun’s safety being unlatched.

“State your name and business.” A cold feminine voice ordered. Ed really wanted to turn around, but something told him that, if he did, there wouldn’t be a warning shot.

“Hawkeye, stand down.” The teen nearly melted with relief at Mustang’s voice. “This is Edward Elric, whom I’ve told you about.”

“Sir, the golem has crossed the threshold.” The woman stated calmly, even under direct order from her superior.

“I know, Hawkeye. That is Alphonse Elric.” Roy stated, coming in from the room to the left. From what Ed could see, it looked like a kitchen of sorts.

“You told her?!” Ed hissed when he heard the safety re-latch. Turning around, he glared at the woman, several inches taller than him, but just as blonde.

“There are few things that I keep from Hawkeye and those are only things that she requests not to be informed of.” Mustang said, scratching at his chin. “I have told no one else of your circumstances, but she is my confidant. I tell her everything except of my conquests.”

“Which are numerous and unsightly.” She said evenly as she re-holstered her gun. “Edward Elric, I am Riza Hawkeye, Guild Representative and unofficial Head of Security.”

“What do we need security for?” Ed asked. Riza offered her left hand to shake, which Ed accepted without thought. In the next second, it was twisted behind his back at a painful angle. He let out a surprised grunt of pain.

In second after, Riza had let go and leapt several feet away as Ed tumbled to the floor, unbalanced. Just as Ed started to wonder what had caused her to back off so quickly, he looked up to see Al tucked over him in a familiar fighting stance, one metal hand poised in air as if having struck an invisible opponent.

“Your golem is well-made.” Riza commented before shaking her head. “Apologies, Alphonse. It is hard to think of you as human.”

There was a tense moment where Al and Ed didn’t move, before Al slowly relaxed and helped Ed up. He focused his glowing red eyes onto the blonde woman. “Don’t harm Brother.”

“You use the term ‘Brother’ instead of ‘Master’?” Riza raised a delicate eyebrow.

Ed winced. “I’m not his master, but…Being a golem, Al cannot say my name. Brother is as close as he can get.”

“Brother, it’s not your fault.” Al whispered. “Besides, I called you that a lot before. It doesn’t matter to me.”

“I know, Al, I know.” Ed replied quietly, patting Al on the arm. Shifting his focus to Mustang, he frowned, “Was this all necessary?”

“Necessary? No. Entertaining?” Mustang smiled and dodged as Ed picked up the nearest objects –a book –and lobbed it at his head. “So you found the culprit at Youswell. I’ll need you to fill out a report, but in the meantime, you can give me a brief summary in my office.”

Ed grumbled, but followed the guild master to his office. Al followed close behind, not letting his brother out of his sight after that sudden attack. Riza nodded to the both of them before disappearing down the other hall.

“A brief summary, Edward.” Roy stated again, grabbing a blank piece of paper and a pen.

“The shipments when missing about three months ago. In that time, a man by the name of Yoki had come in, claiming to be of the Smelting Guild. He tried to pass himself off as a Golem Lord, ordered a house be built for him and took to looking over shipments. A cache of the missing supplies was found when his house was investigated by myself, the foreman, and some workers.” Ed rolled his eyes as Roy wrote down the main points.

“Why did the workers believe that he was from this Guild?” Roy asked, eyes trained on the paper.

“According to them, he had a letter from you and the Smelting Guild Watch.” Ed took off the watch-necklace he’d made and tossed it to Roy. The man caught it without looking up. “His craftsmanship was shitty at best, but the workers aren’t artisans, so things slip by.”

The guild master looked over the watch carefully, frowning. “It doesn’t _look_ like poor craftsmanship.”

“Yeah, I got a little mad at him and the edges in the watch were a little too sharp.” Ed scratched at his ear. “I accidentally got blood on it and changed it. It happens to materials if I’m not careful.”

Roy made a noise of acknowledgement as he twisted the watch this way and that, examining it like he did with Ed’s watches. He took a minute to open it up and examine the inside. There seemed to be something there that he paused at.

“You can’t seriously be thinking of offering that guy a place.” Ed narrowed his eyes at the guild master. “He’s nothing by a creepy, thieving old-!”

“Does ‘3 October, 11’ mean anything to you?” Roy asked suddenly. Ed froze, the words dying in his throat. Beside him, Al jerked, reacting to the date as well. Mustang noted these reaction, holding up the watch so that the two could see the engraving on the inside: _Don’t forget 3 Oct. 11_. “I’m assuming it’s an important date?”

“How did…?” Ed swallowed, eyes trained on the engraving, unable to look away. “It’s the date that Al came back to us as a golem. The fire was on the first, I went to the house on the second, and Al…”

“I came back on the third.” Al said, now standing naked in his human form. “I came back like this.”

“It’s also the day I vowed to change him back.” Ed locked his jaw, trying to keep from saying more. The guild master had only asked for an explanation, nothing more, nothing less.

“And important date indeed.” Roy said, closing up the watch. “Do you know why this watch is the initiation test, Edward?”

“No.” the blonde said quietly.

“Because I want to see what people hold dear.” Roy stated plainly. “Things like pocket watches or lockets –things that can be used to hide precious objects –allow the human conscious to place faith in them and keep safe what the maker wants most to protect. A skilled crafter is one who pours his heart and soul into his work, which is why –if the watch is empty –the crafters that take my test don’t pass. Once they have accepted the watch as their own and placed something important inside, that is when I know that they are truly doing the best with what they have.”

“You don’t just want a product.” Ed summarized, “You want a piece of the artist himself.”

“Doesn’t everyone?” Roy placed the watch on Ed’s side of the desk and sat back. “It is what people look for in artwork, pottery, and golems. They don’t want just another replica, they want something unique, something that can’t be made by another. It’s where the saying ‘an artist suffers for his work’ comes from, not just the ‘suffering’ needed to create a golem.”

Ed stared at the watch, the one that Yoki had made, but Edward had accepted and claimed for himself and began to realize that what Roy was saying was true.

“Congratulations, Edward.” Roy said, “You have passed the initiation process. You are a full-time member of the Smelting Guild of East City. Your title, from this moment on will be Metal Lord Edward Elric.”

*          *          *          *          *

When Maes made it to the top of the hill, he was surprised to find two others already standing before the wreckage of the Elric home –and wreckage it was. There were pieces of wood that stuck up like a half-buried skeleton, blackened by the fire and by the elements. In the center of where the house used to stand, there was a strange mound of mud, clay, and iron. It looked much like an egg after a chick had hatched.

The two people, though, befuddled Maes.

“Hello there!” he called, coming closer to get a better look. “Since you’re here, does that mean you two know Edward Elric?”

The taller of the figures turned to look at Maes and the recruiter stopped in his tracks. Something about those eyes just… didn’t feel right. They felt hollow, like he was staring into something without a soul. His instincts told him to back off and get away, but it was too late.

“I guess you could say we know his father.” The being –because it could _not_ be human –stated, “We go _way_ back, years and years, long before you were even born.”

“That’s impossible.” Maes said, hand inching to his gun. “There’s no way someone as _beautiful_ as you could be so old.”

“Oh! A charmer!” the being laughed, “Isn’t he sweet, Gluttony?”

Maes had his hand on the handle of his gun, but in the next second, the being had his fist through Maes’ stomach.

“Too bad, you’re in the wrong place at the wrong time, human.” The being said, “Else, I might have taken my time with you.”

Maes felt blood welling up his throat, flying from his mouth in a single cough before the being pulled its arm free and let him fall to the ground. Green eyes stared dully at the two figures, frozen wide in shock.

_Sorry, Roy, Gracia…_ he thought before he ceased.

“What do you think, Gluttony? Is he near?” the being asked.

“No, he was here before, but not now.” the other being looked at Maes’ body. “Can I eat him?”

“Not right now. Think with your mind for once, instead of your stomach!” the first being ordered, “We need to tell Lust about this and get a Golem Lord out here to do a restoration-collection combo. Something tells me that what we’re looking for will be in the ashes here.” The figure eyed the strange mound towards the back of the house. “Something also tells me that we’re looking for a golem that has the rest of our book.”

*          *          *          *          *

At one time, the greatest library in Central –that of the S-ranked guilds –caught fire and burned to the ground. It was thought that it was an act of arson by lower guilds, but no perpetrator could be found. Instead, the higher-ranked guilds were forced to scramble and find a way to reclaim their books, scrolls, and techniques that they had slaved over for the last few decades.

One person from the Sins Guild offered a solution –the reconstruction ritual. Used on smaller projects that had fissures or cracks, performing the reconstruction ritual on this size was sure to use a lot of power and put many artists out of work, but it had to be done. After all, Geppetto’s Book had been one to burn in the fire.

So, gathering up the most highly skilled artists from the higher guilds, the ritual was worked and the library reconstructed into its previous form, books lining the shelves full of the pages they had held. There was only one difference.

Every copy of Geppetto’s Book was no longer legible. The words had turned to a script that no scholar could read, no matter how hard they tried. The scholars that had originally translated the segments had long since passed and the Golem Lords were beside themselves with desperation.

 Amestria reached out to its neighbors, ones that had accepted its gift of a copy of the book, but startling news was found. Fires had broken out in vaults and libraries, sanctuaries and shrines. Any place that had held a book had burned to the ground.

The world was flung into a panic for all but Xing. For though they had not accepted a copy of the book from Amestria, down in the depths of their royal vault lay the last legible copy of the script, brought to them by one gold-haired stranger and kept there by the promise to never perform the acts within it.


	13. Thirteenth Stop: Next Assignment

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I don't own Fullmetal Alchemist or its characters.
> 
> The world, however, is mine and currently under development. If it inspires you, feel free to write more in the world. I always like reading new stories, so make sure to tag my story as inspiration so I can find your story that much faster.

_“Your next mission is to participate in the Guild Ranking Contest.” Roy stated, handing Ed a flyer._

_“The what?” the blonde frowned, reaching out to take the flyer and look it over._

_“Every year, the guilds get together in order to define our rank. This is based on a number of different things. Going from E to D rank is a matter of Golem Lord qualification. At least one member needs to be a Golem Lord.” Roy explained._

_He opened a drawer and pulled out another paper. “From D to C, depends on the profit made off of products. C to B is based off of quality. B to A is based on specialties or special effects that a guild can create. A to S is based on the work of all members. Each level is ranked against others of its level and when a guild gets enough of a lead, it changes rank.”_

_“So I have to go show off my stuff?” Ed grimaced. He remembered something like this from his last guild. It had been a contest in town in order to receive the title of ‘Risembool’s finest’, which changed hands every year or so. Ed had never participated. First, he had been focused on making a living, then on changing Al back. The thought of doing what he did for the amusement of others didn’t sit well with him._

_“You don’t sound enthused.” Mustang noted, folding his hands together. “Keep in mind that this is how the Smelting Guild will go from A-ranked to S-ranked. I believe that is what you wanted, yes?”_

Ed stared out the window in thought. His hands were working idly in front of him, carving away at a small ball of clay. Though he could finish it in an instant with a little blood, he found the act of creating soothing, especially in a time like this.

“Are you still thinking about the contest, Brother?” Al asked. He was lounging on the bed next to Ed, splayed out in front of the older blonde as his brother rested against the wall. He was in his human form, as he typically was when the two brothers were alone without the chance of being interrupted. He was also very naked, but the golem in him didn’t seem to care for clothes.

Edward was silent for a few more moments before sighing and looking back at his hands. The ball of clay had a ledge all the way around now. He took the dull carving knife and etched a line down the center part-ways. Finally, he answered, “If I do well, and our guild rank goes up, we can get into the S-ranked library. I’m a full member now, so I would have unlimited access. This is what we’ve been working towards for the past two years.”

“But…” Al wiggled his toes and laid his chin over his crossed arms, “What are you going to do after?”

Ed frowned, “Work here? I don’t know… it all just seems too easy, you know? Like there should be something else in our way…”

“Don’t say that, Brother!” Al gasped, straightening up into a kneeling position. “The moment you say that, something bad is going to happen!”

“No, it’s _not_ , Al.” Ed huffed, rolling his eyes as his fingers worked the clay. His right hand was holding the ball steady as he worked a section off and into a flatter shape. “You’re just superstitious. I’ll go to the contest, win the damn thing, and get into the S-ranked guild, no sweat.”

Al shot him a relieved look, then frowned, “What if you don’t win the contest?”

Ed shot him a glare, “Now who’s saying something bad’s going to happen?

“That’s not what I-!” Al huffed, wrinkling his nose.

“If I lose, I lose.” Ed stated with a shrug. “I’ll wait until next year and win that one. If not then, then the next one. I won’t give up until we get in, Al. I promise you that.”

The two brothers were silent as Ed continued to work on the clay in his hand, rolling out a long, thin piece. Finally, Al flopped back down on the bed. “Thank you for trying so hard for me, Brother.”

“Don’t worry about it, Al.” Ed replied, “I’d do anything for you.”

The golem flashed him a smile before peering at his brother’s hands. “What are you making?”

“Hmm…” Ed turned the creature in his hands this way and that before shrugging, “Let’s find out.”

Holding out a hand, Ed accepted the thin writing tool from Alphonse and carefully dug the tip into the wet clay. Deftly, he wrote ‘Emeth’ and seconds later, the creature came to life with a shudder.

It was a bat-like thing, with two wings and a long, slender tail. A single cat-like eye took up its entire body and blinked up at the two boys as it flapped its wings. Ed’s face lit up with a delighted smile.

“It’s… cute?” Al hedged. He had never understood his brother’s tastes. Several of the golems his brother had made for their house had scared him at first, but Al had grown used to it after a while. It was good to see that the fire hadn’t changed that aspect of Brother.

“It’s _awesome_ is what it is!” Ed crowed, reaching out to poke the golem. It wobbled in mid-air, blinked at him, and then flapped circles around his head. “Hah!”

“Can it only see?” Al asked, tilting his head to the side.

“Hmm?” Ed tore his eyes from the golem to look at his brother.

“It’s saying that it’s awfully quiet.” Al frowned, listening to the creature. Golems were often able to communicate with each other in ways that humans couldn’t comprehend. Al himself couldn’t explain it well other than that he just… knew.

“Is it?” Ed frowned, offering his hand for the golem to perch on. Following the unspoken instruction, the bat-like golem tumbled into his hand, tail flicking to keep its balance.  Ed carefully turned it over, looking at his work and finding that he, indeed, forgot ear-holes. He let out a long sigh. “This is what happens when I don’t plan things out.”

“You could always make a companion for him. “ Al suggested, ignoring the sputtering from the golem as it tried to right itself. “One with ears?”

“True.” Ed said, letting the creature wiggle upright. “Let’s see what this one can do first. Al?”

“Right.” Al nodded, staring intently at the creature as he attempted communication. It took a few tries –after all, Al wasn’t a pure golem –but the creature took the hint and rolled with it.

It leapt off Ed’s hand and circled the air before finding a blank sheet of paper on the desk. Hovering over it, the golem flexed its tail, tracing the tip along the white sheet. Soon, a quick sketch was done and it fluttered over the paper, indicating it was finished. The brothers looked on in awe. Golems typically weren’t able to make art of any sort, so this was definitely unique.

“What’d you make?” Ed asked, pushing off the bed to retrieve the paper. He was silent for several minutes as he examined it.

“What did it do?” Al asked, curious. Ed held up the paper. On it were two stick figures, one with short hair and the other with a braid that seemed to stick out to the right. It wasn’t the best drawing, more like Ed-level drawing, but it was enough to know who was who. Al beamed at the golem, “You drew us!”

“It could use some work.” Ed sighed, “But you are a golem. It’s better than most other golems can do.”

Al included, but the younger brother didn’t mind. He hadn’t been able to do much as a human either.

The creature did another dance in the air, twirling around Edward’s head until the Golem Lord offered his hand again. The blonde smiled down at the creature, petting its head like a cat. “You need a name, don’t you?”

“Batai!” Al shouted, popping up to his knees.

“But I want to name it ‘Bloxor, the Destroyer’!” Ed huffed, cradling the creature closer to himself.

“That’s a horrible name, and you know it.” Al pointed out. The two brothers glared at each other, but finally, Ed caved in.

“Fine, but I’m nicknaming him Bats.” Ed said, with determination. “He is _not_ going to be called Batty.”

“Deal.” Al said, reaching out to coax the creature to him. The golem, Batai, was cautious, clearly not knowing what Al was, but soon found its way onto his palm and wrapped its long tail around his wrist. Just as the golem settled down, the door to their room opened, startling the golems and their master.

“Edward, Guild Master Mustang would like a word-!” Hawkeye paused right inside the door as she realized that Ed wasn’t alone. Her hand went immediately to her gun, but Ed lunged in front of Al.

“No, no, no!” He ordered, hands up as if to stop her. “It’s just Al.”

“…Your brother?” she confirmed, hand still poised over her holster. Ed nodded. She raised an eyebrow, “Why is he naked?”

“He’s… um…” this was never an easy thing to explain.

“All golems are technically naked.” Al answered for him. “Even though I look and came from a human, I do not see the need for clothes or covering of any sort. I do not feel cold, I do not feel embarrassment, so what good is clothing?”

“You might not, but _we_ do.” Ed huffed, picking up his cloak from the back of the chair and tossing it over Al. The golem sputtered and flailed, but Edward turned back to the blonde woman. “You were saying?”

“Guild Master Mustang would like a word with you before you leave.” Hawkeye repeated, her hand pulling away from her holster now that there was no threat. “He has a few tips for you and has the schedule of events that you are to attend. He and I are waiting for news from Hughes before we follow you two to Central.”

“I’ll go see what the bastard wants.” Ed said, ignoring the sharp frown from Hawkeye. “Could you get someone to lower the barrier around the door? I have a golem to move.”

“As I was told, Alphonse does not need the barrier removed for him.” Riza arched an eyebrow.

“Not me,” Al said, holding up Ed’s newest creation. “Batai!”

“Batai?” the markswoman leaned in slightly as she tried to get a closer look. The little creature stared at her, its large eye blinking once. “When did you make this?”

“Just now.” Ed said, stretching a bit as he walked out the door. “Just lower the barrier so I can get it out, okay? On second thought, leave the barrier down completely. I don’t need it.”

“That requires written permission from Guild Master Mustang.” She answered, stroking the golem in Al’s hand. It was a shy little thing, hiding behind its wings. “But I supposed he might let it slide this once.”

Ed was too far away to hear her, but Al gave her a smile.

*          *          *          *          *

“So a golem had been created from the ashes…” the woman said, examining her nails in the low light. “You’re sure it was the right place? _He_ had been there?”

“Yes, Lust.” Envy said, resting its head back in the cradle of its hands. “Gluttony smelled him there, said his scent was fresh –and he stopped there specifically, so that must have been his house at one point. It’s pretty out of the way for anything but a personal stop.”

“So the book was burned in a fire.” The woman crossed her arms under her ample chest. “And then a golem had been created, making it impossible to reconstruct the book without destroying the golem.”

“I have no qualms about destroying some mud-walker.” Envy said, tipping its head back over the back of the couch and stretching its taut stomach. “And it’s not like we don’t know where it is. It’s got to be that golem that’s following that kid around. That kid wouldn’t let something like this out of his sight, not if he knew what it was.”

“It is a possibility that he doesn’t know…” Lust said, putting one elegant finger to her lips, “But then, how could he? Surely _he_ never would have said anything.”

“Knowing that bastard? No, he’d have kept it a secret to his grave.” Envy laughed. “Soon, that will be the truth! So, what’s the plan? Got a Golem Lord lined up for us?”

“I have someone in mind.” Lust said, “And with the Guild Ranking Contest coming up shortly, it wouldn’t be suspicious for so many golems and Golem Lords to be in central. Surely the boy will come as well, putting his golem within range of the collection spell. Then, it will be easy to lure the creature from his side.”

“And one restoration spell later –ta-dah! Three perfect bodies coming up.” Envy cackled, “And one death notice for dear old Number 23.”

*          *          *          *          *

“Edward.” Mustang greeted as the blonde stepped into his office.

“Bastard.” Ed said in return, flipping his braid over his shoulder.

“Glad to see you in such high spirits.” Roy said as he signed another document and set it to the side. “I take it you’ve thought things over?”

“Yeah.” Ed sighed, scratching at his head. “All I have to do is win, right? And our rank goes up?”

“Essentially.” Roy stated, “Though not receiving first-place doesn’t necessarily mean that we won’t rank up, it just lowers the probability.”

“Okay, so what advice do you have for me?” Ed asked, crossing his arms. He rubbed the elbow of his right arm, self-conscious now without his cloak. He really should have brought it with him, but then Al would have been naked. Ed knew his brother didn’t mind, but still… it didn’t feel right to layer up while Alphonse went nude.

“Other than the obvious?” Roy folded his hands together. “Don’t think so hard.”

“What?” Ed frowned, eyebrows knitting together.

“What happens to many during this contest, is that they psyche themselves out.” Roy explained. “They get nervous, make mistakes and don’t know how to deal with the outcome. The key here is to remain calm and stick to one plan. Don’t change anything at the last second or something could go wrong.”

“Got it.” Ed said, mulling the advice over. Like Roy had said, it was all obvious stuff, things he should know, but in the heat of the moment, he might forget.

“Do what you did in the Golem Lord examine and you should be fine.” Roy stated. “Now, for the finer details: This year is going to be a problem-solution type of contest for A-ranked guilds. You will be presented with an issue and given the duration of the contest, which is three days, to form and craft a solution. The key is that you test the solution before you turn in your creation. Otherwise, you might fail without realizing why.”

Ed made a noise of acknowledgement. “Are we allow to use golems that we’ve created before?”

“If you believe it fits the criteria.” Roy affirmed. “However, it must be your creation or the guild’s, no others are allowed or else you will be disqualified.”

“Obviously.” Ed rolled his eyes. “Anything else?”

“… I believe in you, Edward.” Roy stated, his dark eyes staring right into the blonde’s. “I want you to know that. Maes didn’t pick you on a whim and I didn’t have pity on you and let you into the guild. You have made it this far on your own.”

Ed felt a shiver go up his spine as the hairs at the back of his neck started to rise on their own accord.

“You passed my impossible task and saved your brother from certain death.” Roy paused for a few seconds, letting it sink in before shrugging, “Next to that, a contest is nothing. I have no doubt that you will succeed to anything you put your mind to.”

The blonde was speechless. No one, _no one_ , had ever said so much to him and it made him feel… he didn’t know. There was a weird tingling sensation in his stomach and he knew his face was growing red.

“Of course, I can!” he blustered, turning to look away, “Wouldn’t be where I am if I couldn’t!”

Roy smiled gently behind the teen’s back. “No, you wouldn’t.”

“I’m leaving now.” the blonde announced, heading towards the door, “The train leaves in an hour. If I want to get the good seats, I need to leave now.”

“Good luck.” Roy said lowly as he turned back to his papers. As the door shut behind the teen, Roy wondered just how much luck he was going to need.

And he wondered just when Maes was going to call back.

*          *          *          *          *

As Golem Lord Guilds grew in power, the normal guilds grew scared of fading out completely. Against a force like the Guilds, how were normal artisans to compete? How were they to make their own livelihood when the better crafters were part of higher Guilds? How were they to survive against skills above their own?

Sensing the unrest of the lower guilds, the Golem Lords got together and formed a system to allow other guilds to raise in reputation. These were simple contests and granted simple rewards, typically titles or a winnings of some gold coins or crafting supplies. This eased the guilds off of the Golem Lords as they began to compete with each other, but it presented another problem.

Which of the Golem Lord Guilds was the best?

Each wanted to claim the title, but none could justly say that they were greater than the other. The top Three were in constant debate over this, a never ceasing argument over which was best. Dominion claimed the oldest guild title, but Avion claimed the best quality while the Sins claimed the most profit from their war-mongering. Truly, not a one could gain a foothold over the other two.

Then one person, not even an artisan, let alone a Golem Lord, made a suggestion. What if the Guilds show off their skills in one contest to the same criteria? That way, not one Guild would have an advantage over the other two and their skills could be judged fairly. This also allowed other Guilds, lower ranked, to reach for a better reputation for themselves or to lower the position of other Guilds in respect to their own. It was a challenge that liked by all and hated by none.

And so began the first Guild Ranking Contest.


	14. Fourteenth Stop: The Beginning of the End

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I don't own Fullmetal Alchemist or its characters.
> 
> The world, however, is mine and currently under development. If it inspires you, feel free to write more in the world. I always like reading new stories, so make sure to tag my story as inspiration so I can find your story that much faster.

It was another clear morning, two days after that man from Ed’s Guild had come by. Pinako was feeling nostalgic after talking about Ed and Al’s past and seeing her old friend a few days ago. So, she found herself trudging down the hill and up another, the same path she had taken when she had seen Hohenhiem standing over the Elric house.

Den had been limping along beside her for a while. Pinako knew she should put the old boy down soon, but he had been with Winry since the girl had lost her parents and Pinako had lost her son. She just didn’t have it in her to let him go so easily.

Now, she was re-thinking it as the dog had run ahead and back to her several times, barking as if to make her hurry.

“Pipe down, you old thing.” She complained, “I know you haven’t been down this way in a while, but you don’t need to act like an excitable pup!”

It was only when she reached the top of the hill that she realized what had him in a tizzy.

There lay a body not far from where the front door used to stand. The ground below it was covered with dried blood, the grass coated in flaking clumps. The face was turned away from her, staring at the ruins of the house, but Pinako didn’t need to see it to recognize the man.

It was the recruiter, Maes Hughes, from Ed’s guild.

At her side, Den whimpered.

Pinako swallowed hard, her mouth as dry as the dessert. “Den,” she ordered, “Go find the sheriff. Get him up here. Sheriff, Den, fetch!”

The dog barked before taking off back down the hill. Even with a limp, he was still faster than Pinako ever could be. Trailing after him, Pinako headed towards her home, dreading the call she would have to make. She only hoped the man’s family had the right support system to get them through this.

*          *          *          *          *

“Who are you?” Edward asked, finding a man crouched at his doorway. The dark-haired man yelped and pitched forward, arms wheeling as he tried to catch his balance. “Umm…”

“S-Sorry about that!” the man said, apologizing profusely. He looked up to apologize better and Ed got a look at his face. The man had large round glasses to go with his big eyes. His black hair was short and he seemed to be wearing the customary uniform for the guild, though it was covered swipes of clay.

“Kain Fuery, at your service!” the man said, offering his right hand to Ed to shake. The blonde eyed it warily and Fuery quickly pulled it back. “I’m the person in charge of communications in the Smelting Guild. You must be Edward Elric, right?”

“Yeah, I am.” The teen said, crossing his arms and covering the worst of the scarring on his right. “What are you doing to my room?”

“Ah! Hawkeye told me to take down the seal around it.” Fuery replied, pointing to where he had been etching out symbols. “She said that you made a golem in there by accident and need to remove it.”

“Yeah. I did.” Ed said, moving past the man and into the room. “I want the whole seal gone though. No temporary bullshit.”

“Yes sir!” Fuery replied with a salute. At first, Ed thought he was being mocked, but when the man remained in position, Ed winced, “Um… at ease?”

“Ah!” Fuery blushed. “Apologies! I just recently got out of basic training with the military. Not the guild, the actual military.”

“Huh…” Ed’s eyes grew wide. “You joined the military? What are you doing here then?”

“Well…” Fuery grimaced, “Let’s say that the Flame Lord made me an offer I couldn’t refuse.”

“That sounds like a story I want to hear.” Ed said, walking further into the room and waving at Al, who was still in his human form. The golem waved back, happily distracted with Batai.

“It’s not all that long.” Fuery shrugged, crouching again as he talked. “I’ve always had a small talent for making transmission golems, ones used for correspondence. I became something of a big name in my old town, but then again, we didn’t even have a guild there. When I came here, looking for work, nothing I did was ‘Golem Lord’ level, so I entered into basic.”

Fuery sighed heartily, “I tried my best, but I couldn’t quite fit in with the meatheads there, and before I knew it, I was being relegated to gopher tasks, usually between the military and some contracted guilds. That’s where I met Guild Master Mustang. He had caught a glance at a few of the golems I had created and forced me to join his guild. Well, I say forced, but…”

“So you’re a Golem Lord then?” Ed piped up, reclining on his bed.

“Hardly.” Fuery scoffed. “But I know my way around seals and scripts like this. My golems might not have the quality of a Golem Lord, but there are other ways to be useful.”

“Hmm…” Ed watched the man work for a few minutes before nodding, “You seem like a good guy, Fuery.”

“Yeah, you seem nice.” Al commented, leaning into Ed. He still had his brother’s cloak draped around his shoulders.

Fuery looked up at them to smile, but the smile slid quickly off his face. “Y-You!”

“Hmm…?” Al and Ed hummed in question.

“G-Golem?” Fuery stuttered, face pale. “You’re talking! You-!”

“Ah, shit.” Ed looked over at Al, having forgot that not everyone in the guild knew. He was sure that the bastard had told everyone already. Well, that was an oversight on his part. “Um… Fuery, this is Alphonse Elric. He’s my brother.”

“Hi!” Al waved. He knew the situation was grave, but he felt no fear. Golems didn’t have fear. It was impractical to their purpose.

“B-brother?” Fuery stuttered, “But he… red eyes?”

“There are… extenuating circumstances.” Ed sighed, pulling as his bangs. “Mustang will tell you, I’m sure, but right now, we need to go, so if you could finish up?”

“Ah! Yes!” Fuery set to work again, keeping his eyes glued to the floor.

“We need to go, Brother?” Al asked as Ed dug his suitcase out from under the bed.

“Yeah, a train heading Central leaves soon and I want to be on it.” Edward said, throwing the few things he’d bothered to unpack back into his luggage. “So give me my cloak back so we can go.”

Al made a grunt of acknowledgement as he tugged the cloak from his shoulders and quickly shifted into his golem form. Batai startled out of his hand as the ripple of energy passed, but settled once Al’s form even out again. Ed gave it a glance before grabbing a ball of clay out of a set of several that were sitting on his desk. Slipping the ball into his pocket, he carefully packed his tools up, knowing that if he didn’t take good care of them Winry would have his head.

“Um…” Fuery started, standing and dusting off his hands. “If you’re going to Central, you might want to tag along with Golem Lord Armstrong.”

“Who?” Ed glanced up as he snapped his luggage shut.

“Armstrong is a probationary contractor here.” Fuery replied. “He’s from the Armstrong line, a lineage believed to be one of the first bloodlines related to golems.”

“If they’re so famous, why isn’t he running his own guild?” Ed asked as he shrugged his cloak on, clasping it over his left shoulder.

“Well, his family _does_ have a guild, but they also have a tradition that calls for family members to take a contract with outside guilds for at least one year.” Fuery explained as Ed and Al headed to the doorway. He scrambled out of the way as the two exited. “Armstrong’s sister left the guild entirely and created a new one up north called the Bear Guild in the city of Briggs. She’s been there for five years now and vehemently protests going back home.”

“Wow, she must be quite a woman.” Ed commented, looking back. “Anyway, what’s Armstrong got to do with anything?”

“Oh, he’s going to the Guild Ranking Contest in Central and, despite what he might look like, he’s a very friendly guy.” Fuery noted. “ _Really_ friendly.”

“So where is he?” the blonde asked as a shadow fell over him. “Hey, Al, do you mind-?”

“Ah, you must be Edward Elric!” The shadow said, making Ed jump and whirl around. The man behind him was _huge,_ a good foot taller than Al’s golem form _at least_. Ed was half-tempted to call the guy a golem himself, but Al might consider that an insult of some kind.

“Y-yeah, and you’re-?” Edward edged backwards towards his brother.

“Alex Louis Armstrong!” the bear of a man grasped both of Ed’s hands in his and gave them a rough shake, causing Ed to stumble. “I’ve just heard about your status change from probationary to full-time contractor of the Smelting Guild! Congratulations!”

“Er, thanks?” Ed subtly rescued his hands. They were a Golem Lords’ greatest treasure, after all.

“And I heard just now that you will be heading to Central?” Armstrong asked, the very _air_ seeming to sparkle with his excitement.

“Yesss~?” Ed said, suddenly unsure if it would have been better to lie. Where were his survival instinct when he _needed_ them?

“Brilliant!” the overly-muscled man clapped him on the back, making Ed nearly perform a face plant. “Then we shall go together! Strength in numbers!”

“I’ve got, um… Al… and-!” Ed gestured to his two golems but Armstrong was having none of it.

“Nonsense! A golem is no substitute for human companionship!” the Golem Lord insisted. “Besides, this shall be your first time at the contest, correct? You need a guide, someone who has been there many a time and has seen many a brilliant battle between contestants! True beauty must be _shared_!”

Before Ed had a chance to protest, he was picked up bodily from the ground as Armstrong marched towards the door. Al was quick to grab his brother’s luggage and follow, unable to verbally protest like Ed was doing. The blonde was promptly being ignored. “Come now! Our train awaits.”

“Have fun, Edward!” Fuery called after him, waving. Down the hall in the Guild Master’s office, the phone began to ring.

*          *          *          *          *

“The first few contestants should be arriving within the hour.” Lust said as she set down an itinerary. “I trust that you have everything in order?”

“I have most of my supplies here.” A scraggly looking man said, taking off his thin glasses to rub at his tired eyes. “I should have the circle drawn in a few hours. At that time, I will need to make a run home to check on my dog and grab the last of my ingredients.”

“As long as you have preparations done for tonight, I will allow it.” Lust said, crossing her legs. “That is all, Beast Lord Tucker.”

“Thank you.” the man bowed his head and left to do her bidding. Not long after, another voice broke the silence.

“So tonight will be the night?”

“Yes, Envy.” Lust said, leaning back to peer into the dark corner. “Tonight will be the night that we shed these imperfect bodies and truly evolve into perfect beings.”

“I can’t wait.” It said, laughing, “It’s time to get this party started!”

*          *          *          *          *

“Ah, great! A hotel!” Ling said as he stopped in front of an inn in Central City. “It’s been so long!”

“It’s been one day.” Old man Fu said with a sigh. “And that wouldn’t have happened if you had _stayed with us_!”

“Yeah, yeah. I got it!” Ling waved him off, hitching his bag higher on his shoulder. “What’s done is done! Let’s get an actual bed tonight and lots of food to eat!”

“As you wish, Young Master.” Fu said.

“And none of that Young Master stuff!” Ling ordered. “If I want to keep on the down low, I don’t need you calling me that!”

“Apologies.” The old man said, looking nothing close to apologetic. Lan Fan pursed her lips behind him, trying not to laugh.

“Accepted.” Ling answered, pushing the door open to the inn. “Hello! One room, please!”

“You’re in luck!” the innkeeper said, “We have one room left!”

“Wow, you’re booked full!” Ling noted as he leaned onto the counter. “Central must be a happening place!”

“As if!” the innkeeper laughed as he dusted off the key hooks. “It’s the Guild Ranking Contest! People come in from all over to see the competitions and Golem Lords come in droves. Most hotels are completely booked by now, but I just had someone cancel a reservation.”

“Lucky day indeed!” Ling mentally thanked his golden one. It was obviously due to meeting the fiery blonde that he’d had this bout of good luck. “So, one room for three, please! Fu, you take care of the bill.”

“Yes, Yo- Ling.” Fu corrected easily, tending to the innkeeper. It wasn’t long before the trio were heading up to the room, key in hand. “Lan Fan and I will scout the perimeter and report back shortly. While we are out, might I suggest attending your… guest?”

“See you later!” Ling waved them off. “Good luck, Lan Fan!”

The ninja blushed before hurrying off after her grandfather.

“And now you.” Ling said as he tipped his bag upside down and the insides came tumbling out.

“Ow! Hey! Watch it!” a head complained. It had a sharp face with vibrant purple eyes, but below the neck, its body was burned off completely. There was also a hand that twitched across the bed and a leg that jerked every now and then. The face glared at him. “These are delicate pieces here! Handle with care!”

“Yes, yes, I know.” Ling waved him off. “Now, you are a very interesting thing. You look human, but you’re obviously not. No human would be able to survive like you have. So what are you? A golem?”

“Feh!” the head spat at him as Ling caught the hand that was trying to crawl off the side of the bed. “Don’t lump me in with those mud walkers!”

“So then what are you?” Ling asked, examining the hand. While it was as smooth and soft as human skin, he could still see thin grooves cut into it. “You’ll have to forgive me. I’m from Xing and not very familiar with all this.”

“Hah!” the head barked out a laugh. “You wouldn’t be! Not even Amestria is stupid enough to make something like me!”

“And just what, exactly, are you?” Ling asked again.

“Hmm… tell me, kid, have you ever heard the story of Geppetto?” the head grinned at him with a sharp-toothed smile.

*          *          *          *          *

In the time after the Silence, the world fell into a chaotic state. It could no longer use the spells it once had for powering cities or plowing fields in the blink of an eye. It couldn’t even do the simplest of things such as lighting a flame in the hearth. After being dependent on their spells for so long, humanity was quickly finding its end.

It was only with the creation of golems that humanity found its rebirth.

Now, instead of electricity powering lamps or cars, bioluminescent golems illuminated streets and homes and bestial ones became the preferred mode of transportation. Larger golems were used in demolition and construction of buildings in cities and towns and other still were used to excavate mines and plow fields for farmers.

They were even more useful in war, when the body counts became ruling limit. As golems could be mass produced and required no food or water, merely orders, they became the ideal weapon on the battlefield.

Like this, the way of human life could go on for eternity.


	15. Fifteenth Stop: The house of Shou Tucker

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I don't own Fullmetal Alchemist or its characters.
> 
> The world, however, is mine and currently under development. If it inspires you, feel free to write more in the world. I always like reading new stories, so make sure to tag my story as inspiration so I can find your story that much faster.
> 
> PS -Mmm... yeah, you guys are going to hate me.

“What is that you are making, Edward Elric?” Armstrong asked. The two had made it onto the train with Al and Batai in tow and had taken refuge in a car compartment. Ed and Al were squished together on one seat, leaving Armstrong the other all to himself.

“For the fifth time, ‘Ed’ is fine.” Edward said, fingers twisting at the clay in his hands. “And this is going to be another small golem. I messed up with Batai, so I figured I’d make him a friend that could hear for him.”

“A unique solution.” Armstrong noted. “And your golems are quite unique themselves. How did you come up with the designs?”

“They just… came to me?” Ed shrugged, pressing himself further into Al’s hard side. “I’m not making golems for a particular reason, like child-care or anything, so their form doesn’t matter so much to me. I make them to make something.”

“An interesting choice of words.” Armstrong crossed his arms. “It is not often that I see Golem Lords who do not have to work to create golems. Most times, it takes weeks if not months of planning in order to create their ‘masterpieces’.”

Ed snorted. “Mine are hardly ‘masterpieces’. Other than Al, I don’t put that much effort into them and, subsequently, they end up with some mistakes. But like I said, I’m not looking to create a masterpiece. I just… need to create sometimes.”

Armstrong was silent, thinking over the blonde’s words. He had been speaking the truth when he said that most artists took time to create their golems, often starting with a ‘want’ and ending in a ‘need’, but if Edward Elric had started with a need so great that he went forward without plans…

He must have suffered a great deal to need an outlet so badly.

“And what is different about Al?” Armstrong asked after letting that thought sink in.

“Al’s…” Ed’s shoulders came up subconsciously, hunching over into his work. “Al’s special.”

Armstrong waited to see if the blonde would say more, but the teen remained silent, only speaking when he ordered Al to hand him different tools.

“That is looking really good.” Armstrong commented. “Though, it looks to be mainly ears?”

“Batai doesn’t have any, so I thought his companion should.” Ed noted with a wince, “Unfortunately, I didn’t bring enough clay to make it eyes as well…”

“Well, then, Batai shall be its eyes, yes?” Armstrong replied, “They shall be quite dependent on each other.”

“Yeah, well, I’m not mass producing these, so it should be fine.” Ed shrugged as he prodded Al for the inscribing tool. With a quick flourish, he carved in a light EMETH on the golem’s belly and watched as it came to life. It rolled around on his palm, its wings fluttering like it wanted to fly, but it wasn’t sure how.

Batai flapped over from its perch on Al’s shoulder to hover over the new golem.

The new golem was very similar to Batai, only with large curved ears coming from its body instead of a large eye peering out. Its tail also looked more flexible. This was proven true when the thin tendril coiled around Batai’s tail before the golem gave several flaps of its wings and rose off Ed’s palm.

“What shall this one be named?” Armstrong asked, “I assume the other is ‘Bat-eye’, shall this one be ‘Bat-ear’?”

“Hell no.” the face Ed gave him reminded Armstrong of the face his older sister often gave him when he said something particularly stupid. “Then everyone will shorten it to Batty! No, this one is going to be Bloxor the-!”

Ed suddenly stiffened, shooting Al a look as if the golem had done something. Finally, the blonde looked away and huffed, “It’s going to be Eeba. There, happy?”

Armstrong wondered briefly who the teen was talking to. It wasn’t like Alex was going to tell the teen what he could and could not name his own golems. That would be rude.

Just then, the whistle blew and the train started forward. Ed kicked up his feet and sprawled into his golem’s side. Armstrong thought that the position couldn’t be comfortable in the least, but Edward seemed fine.

“Wake me when we get there, okay?” Ed yawned and snuggled in, quickly falling off to sleep.

Well, there went Armstrong’s conversation companion. The large man sighed before settling in to watch the antics of the two tiny golems, one hearing for the first time and the other seeing through someone else’s eyes.

*          *          *          *          *

Roy picked up the phone that had been ringing and answered, “Hello, Smelting Guild, Guild Master speaking.”

The other end of the line was quiet for a long time, making Roy wonder if this was a prank call. Just as he was about to hang up, someone spoke. The voice sounded old and tired and just the slightest bit strained. “ _Is this the guild of Maes Hughes?_ ”

Roy’s heart leapt into his throat. “It is. May I ask who’s calling?”

“ _Pinako Rockbell, Ed and Al’s current guardian_.” The other person answered, “ _Maes Hughes visited my granddaughter and I yesterday and, well… there appears to have been an accident_.”

Roy’s grip tightened on the phone. “Accident?”

“ _We found his body out at the Elric house today_.” The person continued, the blow not softened in the slightest. “ _We have our sheriff looking into it right now, but it appears that someone murdered him. Could you please send someone from the Guild to collect his body and return it to his family?_ ”

Roy took a deep breath, closing his eyes tight against the burn. “Maes didn’t have any family left. He has friends and a girlfriend, but…” He inhaled deeply and let out a slow breath, “I will be down shortly to make arrangements.”

“ _Thank you_.” the older woman said, followed by a quiet, “ _We are sorry for your loss_.”

Roy felt a stone lodge in his throat and couldn’t find it in himself to answer. Instead, he hung up and buried his face in his hands.

“Sir?” Hawkeye called from the door. She must have heard the phone ringing and his side of the conversation. She wouldn’t know everything, but it was pretty telling about what had happened.

“Maes Hughes was found dead this morning out at the Elric house.” He managed to say without lifting his head. “They’re saying it was a murder.”

“Murder?” Hawkeye frowned, “Out there? In the country? That doesn’t sound right.”

“Yes, especially considering that it was at the Elric house.” Mustang said, rubbing his hands down his face. “From the story I’ve heard from Edward, I’ve gathered that the house is pretty far out in the hills and has been left in wreckage since the fire. Why would anyone be out there?”

“Unless they’re looking for the Elric brothers.” Hawkeye finished. “You believe something else is going on?”

“I believe that I sent my friend to his death.” Roy said, standing, “And now I have to bring back the body.”

“Sir.” Hawkeye started, but was cut off by the look in Roy’s eyes.

“Hawkeye, go to Central and keep an eye on the brothers. Get Havoc and Breda on task with you.” Roy said as he donned his coat. “I don’t want to be bringing back more bodies.”

“Yes, Sir.” Hawkeye saluted and left to see to her mission. Roy quickly left to catch the first ride out to Resembool. Once on the train, the guild master was left alone for the ride in order to cope with his grief.

*          *          *          *          *

The train heading to Central was just pulling into its stop when Ed yawned and stretched, becoming aware of his surroundings once more.

“-nd so I said to her, ‘We are brother and sister! We shouldn’t fight like this!’” Armstrong sniffed, “And you know what she said? She said that she’d rather have a wolverine as a brother because it would actually pose a challenge! Isn’t she the worst?!”

Ed blinked and cleaned out his ears. Was Armstrong really crying? And pouring out his life story in the middle of a _train_ _car_? “Umm…”

“Ah! Edward Elric! You are awake!” Armstrong perked up immediately, the tears drying from his eyes like magic.

“Who were you just talking to?” Ed wondered aloud, thinking they might have picked up another passenger, but when he looked around, it was still just him, his golems and Armstrong.

“Ah, your golems.” Armstrong replied heartily. Ed’s heart gave a lurch. “You see, I’ve found that golems are the most talented confidants and they never tell anyone my dark secrets. It does help take a burden off my shoulders. You should try it some time.”

“Eh… Thanks.” Ed said, mentally reminding himself to asked Al about it later. His brother was sure to have his own opinions on the matter. “Anyway, we… should go. We should definitely be going.”

“Ah, yes!” Armstrong said, standing to reach his luggage. He had to duck his head in order to keep it from bumping the ceiling. “We should stow our stuff at the guild extension here first, then take a look around the city. The festivities start later on tonight, so we should have some time to sight-see.”

“Great…” Ed sighed as Armstrong filed out of the compartment, already feeling exhausted by the day. “You ready, Al?”

The golem gave a minute nod and followed the other Golem Lord out. Ed kept up close behind him, using Al and Armstrong to part the crowd for him. Batai and Eeba took up residence on his shoulders, keeping an eye and ear on those around him. Many people were looking and pointing at the silver pocket watch that hung around his neck and Ed wished he’d thought to hide it under his cloak.

The guild extension was exactly like they’d left it, including the runes on the floor to keep golems out. Ed made a face. Why did Mustang insist on having these seals everywhere? He’d have to take a look at them later and see if he couldn’t reason a way to turn them off. Al might know. He had been there when Fuery had been working.

Edward dumped his stuff on the bed as Al and his golems patiently waited outside the door. He could hear Armstrong making himself at home and knew that, if the blonde was fast enough, they could leave the behemoth behind as they looked around the city.

Ed communicated this to Al with a simple jerk of his head and the two took off down the stairs and out the door. Once they were a far enough distance away, Ed let out a sigh of relief. That man had enough of an aura to smother anyone around him.

“Ugh, finally!” Ed stretched his back and shoulders after that sudden race. “I don’t know how much more I could have taken! That Armstrong guy sure is strong-willed.”

“Mm…” Al answered, his hum simply sounding like his metal parts echoing with the breeze.

“Now, let’s go find something to e-Whoa!” Ed let out a yelp as he ran into someone just coming out of a store. The other person fell to the ground, his bags spilling out into the street.

“E-excuse me!” the man stuttered, “I’m sorry about that! I-I didn’t see you.”

“No, my fault.” Ed replied, bending to pick up the man’s things. A sense of urgency fueled his actions. Who knew when a transportation golem would come barreling down the street.

“You don’t have to help me clean up.” The man protested weakly. Looking up, Ed got a good look at the man. He was scruffy looking with a few days’ worth of stubble on his chin. His glasses sat crooked, like they had shifted when the two bumped into each other and the man hadn’t bothered to fix them. Behind the frames was a pair of dull brown eyes with heavy bags left over from lack of sleep.

“It’s not your fault.” Ed repeated. “The least I can do is help clean up my mess.”

“Th-Thank you.” the man bowed his head and caught sight of the silver watch that Ed still hadn’t hid. “You’re part of the Smelting Guild?! That’s the hardest guild to get into, from what I’ve heard.”

“Ah, yeah.” Ed said, looking down at the watch. “The initiation was pretty hard. Not sure I could have figured it out if it hadn’t been for…”

_Maes_. His mind supplied, but for some reason, the name was making his stomach weak. Ed brushed it off with a shake of his head.

“What guild are you in?” Ed asked, setting the last jar back into the bags.

“Wh-what?” the man stuttered, getting to his feet now that the bags were put to rights. “How did you…?”

“Other than the fact that you’ve got clay all over your pants and that you’ve got the herbs needed for a reconstruction ritual?” Ed shrugged. “Not many people would know about the Smelting Guild initiation process unless they’re part of a Golem Lord Guild. I was just wondering which one.”

“You are one smart kid.” The man laughed tiredly before nodding, “I’m Shou Tucker.”

“Edward Elric.” Ed offered.

“The same one who crafted a product in less than ten minutes in the Golem Lord Qualification Exam this year?” the man’s eyes grew large behind his glasses.

“Yeah.” Ed frowned and tilted his head to the side, “Were you there for that?”

“No,” the man shook his head, “But it’s been the talk of the guild. Most people your age can’t even craft a vase on a potter’s wheel, let alone craft a scythe like that. And in minutes? You’ve earned yourself quite the reputation.”

Ed felt his face grow hot, but shrugged, “Nothing special.”

“I wouldn’t say that.” Tucker said, his smile more genuine. “How about this? You helped me pick these up, so why don’t I treat you to lunch?”

“You don’t need to-!” At that moment, Ed’s stomach growled at him. “Er…”

“I’ll take that as a yes.” Tucker laughed, “Just let me drop these off at my home first, and I can make you something there.”

“Thanks.” Edward answered, following the man as he started a slow pace towards the residential area. “So, how long have you be crafting?”

“For several years.” Tucker replied. “I didn’t start with golems until my wife left me two years ago. I… was in a hard place at the time. My daughter, Nina, keeps me company and my dog, Alexander, but…”

Ed nodded, knowing what it felt like to lose a loved one, even if they weren’t really gone.

“I get by okay, much better recently.” Tucker went on. “It just seems that the need for golems is growing larger and larger, you know?”

“Yeah,” Ed nodded, “People are using them for everything from childcare to housekeeping. Part of me thinks it’s going to lead to another dependency, like one before the Silence.”

“Golems are a hot commodity.” Tucker replied. “There will always be a need for something like them, even if it isn’t golems, per say.”

“Yeah.” Ed said, slowing as Tucker stopped at a gated complex. Inside was a huge mansion of a house completely surrounded by the gate. Before he could comment on its size, a giant beast leapt had him from nowhere, pinning him to the ground. “Ack!”

“Alexander, no.” Tucker laughed, “We don’t tackle guests.”

The white dog just continued to sit on Ed’s back, panting and wagging its tail happily.

“Daddy!” a little girl screamed as she raced out. “You’re back!”

“Yes, I am, sweetie.” Tucker replied, gathering the girl up into a hug. “But I have to go back to work after this.”

At that, the girl frowned, like that wasn’t what she wanted to hear.

“I am here now, though, and I brought a friend.” Tucker gestured to where Ed was still stuck under the dog. Al hadn’t moved an inch to help him. “We’ll be here for lunch, so why don’t you introduce yourself?”

The girl nodded and pushed out of her daddy’s arms to walk over to where Ed and Al were. She reached out a hand, the left one instead of right. “Hi, I’m Nina! Nice to meet you, Daddy’s Friend!”

“It’s Ed.” Edward corrected, shaking her hand. Beside him, Al seemed to stiffen and Batai and Eeba took refuge on his shoulders. Ed wanted to ask, but he couldn’t in front of these two. It would be too obvious what Al was. “Nice to meet you too, Nina.”

“Are you a good man?” Nina asked out of the blue.

“Um…” Ed frowned, unsure how to answer. There were times that he felt it might have been better to leave Al to his fate, in those moment where he hated what he had done to his brother, but he knew that he was too weak to let him go, especially like that. “I… I think so?”

Nine stared at him hard, then nodded and pulled her hand away. Turning back to her father, she said, “I’m hungry.”

“Of course, Nina.” Tucker replied, heading inside. “Come, Alexander.”

The girl and the dog raced into the house together, leaving Ed to pick himself up off the ground. As he was dusting himself off, he heard a tinny, “Brother…”

“Al?” Ed looked back, blinking at his brother. Normally, Al was good at staying in character. For him to break it so publically meant that something was wrong.

“Brother, Nina… she-!”

“Edward, are you coming?” Tucker called from the doorway.

“Y-Yeah! Coming!” Ed said, hurrying inside. He glanced back at Al, letting him know with a look that he would definitely talk to him about it later.

“Lunch won’t take long to prepare.” Tucker said as he showed them around his house. “Why don’t you have a look at my library while you wait? There are some books I think you might find enjoyable.”

“Do you have any from the S-class library?” Ed questioned off-handedly.

“You know, I think I might.” Tucker scratched at his head. “I always check books out and forget to return them. There might be some on my shelves. Why don’t you take a look?”

“Don’t mind if I do!” Ed exclaimed as he started to peruse the shelves.

“I’ll call you when lunch is ready!” Tucker said, getting a non-committal grunt from Edward.

Once the other Golem Lord had left the room, Al scurried over to his brother, urgently trying to get his attention. “Brother, the girl-!”

“Mr. Ed?” Nina called from the doorway, peering out from it shyly. Ed looked over, sparing Al a glance.

“What is it, Nina?” Edward asked, wary. She glanced around, as if being shy. The dog, Alexander, panted at her side and followed her when she started forward. Her hands were held behind her back, as if hiding something. Ed felt his heart speed up. “What do you have there?”

“A present.” She said, handing him a rolled up piece of paper. “A picture!”

“That’s nice of you, Nina.” Ed smiled at her, feeling his heart slow down. He was foolish, hearing his brother say some things and then automatically assuming the worst. There was nothing wrong with Nina. She was just a normal little girl that had just given him a picture.

Ed unrolled the paper and felt his blood go cold.

_All I can say are lies._

“My daddy is the best person in the world.” Nina said cheerfully. “He loves me an’ Alex and we play together lots. You’re daddy’s friend, so you must be a bad person. Will you hurt me?”

Edward gaped at her, eyes staring wide as he slowly put together her words and the scrawled sentence on the paper.

_My daddy is the worst person in the world…_

_He hates me an’ Alex…_

_You aren’t daddy’s friend…_

_You must be a good person…_

_Will you help me?_

“Al,” Ed felt his hand trembling and the paper crinkling between his hands. “What’s going on here?”

“Brother…” Al whispered. “Her eyes.”

Ed looked up, straight into glowing red eyes. The girl continued to stare at him as the fluorescent lights gave her eyes the red-tinge that Ed had missed when they first met. How could anyone have _missed_ that?!

“Will you hurt me?” she asked again. “I want to help my daddy.”

A golem that could talk and think was unheard of except for…

“Edward, lunch time!” Tucker said as he came in, drying his hands on a towel. “Ah, Nina, there you are! Go wash up. It’s time to eat!”

Nina didn’t say a word, just turned and left to wash her hands for a meal she could not eat.

“Tucker…” Edward stopped the man as he turned to leave the room. Shou Tucker looked back, curious. “What Guild did you say you were part of?”

“Ah, I didn’t mention that, did I?” Tucker asked, with a smile. “I’m a full-time member of the Military Guild.”

“They have that initiation test that uses the Sacrificial Rite, don’t they?” Ed asked, still staring at the paper in his hands.

“Yeah, they do.” Tucker frowned, “How did you know?”

“Tucker, what was your wife’s name?” Ed demanded, finally looking up to glare at the man with enough anger to kill.

Tucker stared at him for a long time before smiling a sickening grin. “I would be surprised that you figured it out so fast, but you’re in the same boat I am.”

“You killed your wife!” Ed yelled, “And used her for the Sacrificial Rite!”

“She brought it on herself!” Tucker shouted back, a manic look in his eyes. “She always complained about my work and dreams! She never wanted me to be happy! She always wanted to go back to that country house in the village we grew up in! So that we could live in poverty and filth! She never _cared_ about me so I _made_ her care!”

“You-!” Ed started to yell, but Tucker spoke over him.

“I used her for the Sacrificial Rite and earned my place in the Military Guild!” Tucker laughed, “And I used her ashes to make my wife Nina into something that would do as it was told! A child golem, no one would suspect a thing! I also found that doing so left material over so that I could keep making Nina again and again if I had to!”

The man stopped laughing, “And I had to, so many times. At first, she was unruly, cursing me and being as much of a nuisance as a golem could be. Then, she would purposefully break herself and crumble to pieces, gone before I could fix her! It took a few tries, but I finally got the right technique down.”

Tucker held out his hands as if making a great decree, “Now, I finally have the obedient girl I always wanted instead of the complaining bitch she used to be!”

“Your wife _loved_ you!” Edward exclaimed, “She wanted to go back to the country because she _saw_ what was happening to you! The madness that was taking you over! She wanted you to be happy! And she knew you weren’t here!”

Tucker frowned at him. “You know nothing. You’re just a child.”

“A _child_?! Why I oughta-!”

“You did the same.” Tucker pointed out. “That golem there. He’s not like other golems.”

Ed and Al stiffened.

“I can feel it, just like you can.” Tucker said. “It’s the power that comes with the Sacrificial Rite. It’s different for everyone, but it’s always there. I can tell.”

“Al is different!” Ed protest.

“You killed him!”

“ _I_ _saved him!_ ”

“Kid yourself all you want,” Tucker laughed, “I know the truth!”

“Shut up!” Ed shouted as he lunged at Tucker.

“ _Nina, protect_!” Tucker ordered. A shadow from behind him shot forward, grabbing Ed around the middle and slamming him against the wall. Ed let out a choked breath and clawed at the tiny arm around his waist that was far stronger than any five-year old had the right to be.

“Al!” Ed called, gasping. His brother raced over, tearing Nina away and throwing her towards Tucker. The girl performed a perfect somersault in the air and landed on her feet in front of Tucker. “You bastard!”

“Now, I have some business to take care of in town.” Tucker said with a flippant smile. “Why don’t you three play here while I’m gone?”

“Yes, Daddy!” Nina replied with a vacant smile.

Edward made to chase him, but doubled over, grabbing his stomach. That little girl had definitely left a bruise.

“Bye bye, sweetie!” the man said as the front door opened and closed.

“Are you ready to play, Mr. Edward?” The golem girl asked, bouncing on her toes.

“You don’t have to do this!” Ed tried to reason with her.

“Brother, you know that’s not true!” Al hissed, crouching over him in an effort to protect. “Golems must follow the commands of their masters. Tucker is her master, so she _has_ to obey him!”

“I know, Al, but… _dammit_!” Ed cursed. “I-I can’t-!”

“Brother…” Al knew what was paining his brother. He couldn’t bear the thought of killing an innocent, simply because they were under someone else’s control. Al didn’t like the situation any better, but…

“Mr. Edward, can you help me?” Nina asked. “I need you to fix me.”

“I… I _can’t_.” Ed’s voice cracked. “I don’t know how to help you, Nina! I don’t know how to fix-!”

“Brother,” Al said quietly, “Her note.”

_All I can say are lies_.

_Mr. Edward…_

Realization struck Edward and he viciously shook his head. “I… I _can’t_! I can’t, Al! She was a person! She’s like _you_!”

“Brother, I can hear her.” Al stated. “I can hear the soul in her crying to be set free. She’s tried so many times before, breaking body after body, but he keeps bringing her back. She can’t get free. We need to stop this once and for all.”

“Al…” Ed turned to him, stricken.

“She’s asking for help, Brother.” Al said, “If you can’t do it…”

The girl lunged at them, taking a flying leap through the air with grasping hands aimed at Ed’s neck. The blonde stumbled backwards even as Al caught her by the arm and threw her into a bookcase. The shelves crumbled under her and books rained down.

She picked herself up, small fissures and cracks crawling up the skin of her face and legs. “A little softer.”

Al nodded, hearing her real words and falling into a martial arts stance that he had seen his brother practicing outside his window time and time again. He crooked his fingers at the girl, “I’m ready.”

“Al, no!”

But the girl had already charged, ducking under Al’s hands and swinging a leg, only to hear her own body cracking under the force of her blow. The soft clay of her limbs was no match for the metal of Al’s golem body.

She didn’t care. She tried again, following the will of her master.

“Al, please!”

Alphonse didn’t listen. There was no true command in his brother’s voice, there never had been. There never would be.

Nina continued to fight long after her body started to give up. It was when her right leg and left wrist shattered that she finally stilled. She sat up on the floor where she had fallen, but didn’t move to stand. Her body was covered in cracks, pieces already starting to flake off and she knew her time was short.

She didn’t care. She was finally free. She had been the last of the ashes of her human self and Tucker would never be able to make another little Nina to play with.

“Mr. Edward.” She beamed at the young boy, much too young to have held the grief to make a golem like her, but still pure enough to know that the Rite was the horrible thing that it was. She wished she could have known him better, in a different life.

“Nina,” he stared on in despair, tears in his eyes. “I’m… so _sorry_.”

“Not sorry.” She replied with a genuine smile on her lips, “No thank you.”

And with that, her body crumbled into dust and Nina was no more.

*          *          *          *          *

The various ranked guilds were in charge of varying golem types –depending on their skill.

D-ranked guilds were in charge of golems that had simple tasks, like those in demolition or agriculture. These golems were often crude and only functioned directly on task, not able to make changes should there be rain one day or snow the next. They were exactly to task as their master ordered.

C-ranked guilds were in charge of transportation golems. These golems had more leeway with orders as they also had to follow basic road etiquette. They were also more refined, as they are ones that are seen more publically than most other golems.

B-ranked guilds were in charge of golems for the social class. These could be golems that were in charge of guarding stores or lighting streets. These could also be golems used for gardening as opposed to farming. These golems were more refined, but subtle, often blending in to their surroundings on purpose. Their task repertoire was larger as well, allowing several orders to be placed on top of one another instead of one at a time.

A-ranked guilds were in charge of golems for the higher class. These golems often ended up being fancier than others as the higher class like opulence over efficiency. An example of this type of golem might be a child-care golem, ones used to watch children in the nursey as they grew with time. These golems were often left to function without straight orders, assumed to know what their tasks for the day are on their own.

S-ranked guilds were in charge of military-grade golems as well as any ‘special cases’ that the world required. This often left the guilds to think quickly on their feet in order to get the right golem to the right people at the right time. Because of this, they were paid handsomely for their work.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, I finished this story on my word document. There are a total of 23 chapters, meaning there are 8 more after this one. I'm also working on Feral, but the work load will be reduced, so I decided I'm going to start a little contest. Nothing big.   
> If you're curious, you can find more information on my profile which will be updated around the same time as these stories (may be slower, idk Ao3).  
> Catch you guys next week!


	16. Sixteenth Stop: The Morgue

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I don't own Fullmetal Alchemist or its characters.
> 
> The world, however, is mine and currently under development. If it inspires you, feel free to write more in the world. I always like reading new stories, so make sure to tag my story as inspiration so I can find your story that much faster.
> 
> PS -The contest I mentioned last week is still ongoing. If you're curious, you can find more information on my profile.

“I see.” Armstrong said into the phone receiver. “Yes, I’ll keep an eye on them until you arrive. Nothing will get to Edward while I’m around!”

“ _Thank you, Armstrong._ ” Hawkeye said from the other end of the line. “ _We should be in Central shortly._ ”

“Of course, Hawkeye.” He answered. “You have my word.”

Hanging up, Armstrong rubbed at his face before inhaling deeply and puffing up his chest. He would keep Edward Elric safe no matter what.

“Edward!” he called, storming into his companion’s room. “Shall we go see the sites of-?”

He blinked. The room was empty. The suitcase that Edward’s golem had been carrying was laid out on the bed, but other than that, no one was there.

“Oh no.” Armstrong groaned.

*          *          *          *          *

“ _Nina, no!_ ” Ed shouted as the golem crumbled before his eyes. She had just thanked him for letting Al fight her and then _died_. Right before him. He couldn’t do a thing to stop it! “ _Nina!_ ”

“Brother, it’s okay!” Al said, kneeling beside him and reaching. “It’s done. She’s free now.”

“How could you _think_ that?!” Edward demanded, slapping away his brother’s hand. “She’s a golem! She was human! _She’s just like you!_ She didn’t have to die!”

“Brother, it’s what she wanted!” Al argued, grabbing his master by the shoulders. “As it was, she was unhinged. She hated the man that was her master, but couldn’t disobey him because of what she was –a golem made by him. She had no other choice.”

“You can’t say that! There’s always another choice!” Ed shouted, banging his hands against Al’s metal chest plate, resounding like a gong. “You say it like killing her doesn’t _matter_!”

“It doesn’t.” Al stated, making Ed draw in a sharp gasp.

“Wh-what?” the blonde stared up at his golem brother with wide, heart-broken eyes.

“Brother, I am a golem. I used to be human, so I have memories of times when I had feelings, but the thing is, I can’t feel emotions anymore.” Al tried to explain. “I know that you’re upset, and I know why, but… it just doesn’t matter to me. She asked for help, and I gave it to her.”

“You…” Edward buried his face in Al’s chest, pressing his hot cheeks to the cold metal. “You wouldn’t have! Not if you were human! Not if you were the way you were supposed to be!”

“But I’m not, and I did.” Al said, moving his hands from his brother’s shoulders to his back, holding him close. He knew it probably wasn’t comfortable, but his brother was strange like that.

“Do…” Ed swallowed as he tried not to think about the answer to his question. His voice croaked quietly, “Do you feel the same way? As her?”

Al thought for a moment, then shook his head, slowly shifting back to his human form to make it easier on his brother. “I know why you changed me and I know that you’re working to reverse it. I know it wasn’t your fault and you didn’t do it on purpose. I’m not mad at you, not like she was with Tucker. I won’t try to destroy myself, Brother, not as long as you still need me.”

“Always, Al.” the blonde artisan said, gripping his brother in a tight hug. Al smiled into his brother’s hair and squeezed back just as tightly. He wished that he could feel happy that his brother needed him, could feel the warmth that came with a hug, but those concepts were foreign to a golem. Instead, he took solace in his master needing him and the memories that connected to this moment.

He would have time to relive these memories when he was human, if he ever was again.

*          *          *          *          *

“We just want to confirm the body.” The sheriff said as he ushered the Flame Lord into the morgue. “Just part of the process, I hope you understand.”

“Of course.” Mustang said, standing at attention as the body tray was rolled out. The body was covered with a white sheet, the clothes having be sent to forensics and later evidence. When the sheriff folded back the white sheet, Mustang gasped, the harsh chemicals and smell of decay making him choke.

“You know him?” The sheriff confirmed.

“Yes. It’s Maes Hughes.” Mustang said with a nod. “How did he die?”

The sheriff gestured to the doctor to the side. The doctor held up a clipboard to read from. “The victim died of blood loss from a wound to the abdomen. Several internal organs were damaged and his spinal cord snapped.”

Mustang’s jaw dropped in shock and he reached to move the white sheet lower, to see the damage done to his friend. The sheriff put a hand on his to stop him.

“Think, son, do you really want to see that?” the sheriff asked.

Mustang hardened his glare and that was all the answer the sheriff needed. The man nodded his head once and took his hand away. Mustang moved the sheet back, albeit more slowly than he had first intended. The wound was as gruesome as female doctor described. Despite all that Mustang had seen while in the Military Guild, he had to look away to keep from losing what little breakfast he had left.

Covering up the wound, he asked, “Anything else?”

“It appears the wound was made with a blunt instrument about the size of an adult’s hand.” The doctor continued. “However, the force behind this is more than a human could accomplish.”

“So we’re looking at a golem/human murder pair.” Mustang said. “Are there any current suspects?”

“Not as of right now.” the sheriff answered, hands on his hips. “There was no other evidence at the scene of the crime. You said he had been missing for how long?”

“One day.” Roy answered, crossing his arms. “I had asked him to do a background check on someone and report back his findings. I did think that not hearing from him since was odd, but I never thought that…”

“Did the background check happen to be on the Elrics?” the sheriff asked, “I’m only suggesting it because it was their house he was at.”

“Yes, Edward Elric.” Roy replied with a frown. “Why? Is there something I should know about him?”

“Edward is fine. He used to be a bit of a trouble maker when he was younger, but his brother was good at handling him. His father, however, now there’s a story.” The sheriff said. “That man stuck around for five years, then up and left, no notice or nothin’. His wife kept waiting around for him, loyal thing she was, but I think the boys knew he wasn’t coming back. Edward did, at least.”

The sheriff took off his hat to scratch at his head, “The man… something was always off about him. I couldn’t tell you what it was, but my gut told me to stay away. Never once, in the twenty years I’ve been sheriff, has my gut ever lead me wrong.”

Mustang frowned, but nodded in understanding. “I’ll keep watch. From what Edward tells me, he’s not too fond of his father, but I’ll make sure to keep him safe.”

“You better.” The sheriff said. “If someone was out there waiting for that man to return, they certainly wouldn’t have any qualms killing his child like this either.”

“Right.” Mustang said with a wince, looking back down to his friend. “I would like the body moved to East City for burial, if that’s all right?”

“Sure, I can make a few calls and get some people out here.” The sheriff said. “Let’s go up and work out the details so you can hit the road.”

“You seem to want me out of here pretty fast.” Mustang said as the doctor rolled the body tray away.

“Something’s going down in Central tonight.” The sheriff answered putting his hat back on his head. “I just got a gut feeling that you should be there.”

“Gut feeling?” Mustang raised an eyebrow.

“Like I said, never led me wrong before.” The sheriff commented with a drawl before leading the way up and back to his office. Mustang felt his own stomach turn, but he was sure it was just paranoia.

The person who attacked Maes wouldn’t attack again so soon, Roy was sure of that. Besides, Central wasn’t close to Resembool. There would be no reason for the suspects to leave the area anyway.

*          *          *          *          *

“Dammit.” Ed cursed, kicking a stray rock to the side. “We’ve been looking for _hours_ and there’s no sign of that rat-bastard!”

Al remained silent at his side as Batai and Eeba drifted around the golem’s head.

“It’s like he disappeared off the face of the earth! He hasn’t even gone back to his house yet!” Ed huffed, “The seal I placed there would have gone off if that’s the case. Agh, where could he be?!”

Al tilted his head, as if listening to something, then turned, eyes searching the crowds, looking for the source.

“I mean, the coward just-!” Ed stopped short when Al moved beside him. “Al?”

The metal golem started walking away, eyes focused onto his destination.

“Hey, Alphonse! Don’t just walk off on me!” Ed said, running to catch up. “If you see him, say something!”

Al said nothing.

“Alphonse?” Ed asked, nervous now. His brother always answered him before, even if he was mad at the older sibling. Why was Al acting so weird now?

“Batai, Eeba,” Ed ordered, “Go find Armstrong. Something isn’t right.”

The two bat-like golems took off into the sky, flying over buildings in their quest.

Walking in silence, the duo made their way from the residential section to the Guild section, Al leading the way and Ed following, his nerves growing with every step.

*          *          *          *          *

“Armstrong!” Hawkeye saluted as she, Havoc, and Breda stepped off the train.

“Hawkeye!” the behemoth answered with a mirrored salute. “I am deeply sorry, Hawkeye, but Edward Elric gave me the slip. I have been searching for him for hours, but I have not been successful.”

Riza’s eyes widened in surprise, but she kept her calm. “Havoc, Breda, we’ll split up and search the city. The sooner Elric is found, the better.”

“Great, but uh…” the blonde took the cigarette from his mouth, “Do Breda or I know what he looks like?”

“He’s around fifteen-years-old, long blonde hair. A large metal golem should be following him around as well as a small bat-like surveillance golem.” Riza noted as she started into the city.

“Two bat-like golems.” Armstrong corrected, “He created a second on the train ride in.”

“Like those two up there?” Breda asked, pointing upwards. The group looked up to see Batai swooping down to them with another golem in tow.

“Batai.” Riza greeted with a frown. “Where is Edward?”

The golem remained silent as the second golem, Eeba, twitched its ears. Then the two took off across the square, heading towards an alley off to the right.

“I don’t like the look of this.” Breda grumbled.

“And I don’t like the look of your face.” Havoc rolled his eyes and stubbed out his cigarette. “Let’s just get the little escapee back home before bedtime, okay?”

Despite Havoc’ flippant nature, Riza was sure he was asking the same thing as the rest of them. Why would Edward send out his golems instead of coming to them himself? If he had wanted to site-see on his own, he wouldn’t have sent for help. If he needed help, then… what had happened to Al?

Something was very much wrong here.

“Armstrong.” She ordered, “Leave the Guild Master a trail to follow. We might be needing his help.”

“The Guild Master is on his way?” Breda asked as Armstrong made an opulent statue of himself pointing in the direction of the golems. The work of the Armstrong family was fast and efficient, even if their taste left something to be desired.

“If he wasn’t before, he will be soon.” Riza said as she took off after the bat golems. “Something tells me he won’t like what he found down in Resembool.”

“Why was he at Resembool?” Havoc asked, genuinely confused. Riza gritted her teeth.

“Less talking, more finding.” She said, “We can discuss everything later.”

With that, the party fell silent as they followed their golem guides.

*          *          *          *          *

When golems became an average commodity, there came to be several laws regarding them. These laws included how life-like a golem could be, what abilities were and were not allowed in non-combat golems, and the consequences of using golems for committing crimes.

Consequences for committing crimes using golems would change depending on the crime. If it were stealing, the thief was required to return the stolen objects and serve time in prison. This was also true for forgery or assault on a person of interest. Murder or man slaughter was to lead to the death penalty for the accused.

For the golems, in every instance, they were to be destroyed by the hands of their maker.


	17. Seventeenth Stop: The Fifth Warehouse

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I don't own Fullmetal Alchemist or its characters.
> 
> The world, however, is mine and currently under development. If it inspires you, feel free to write more in the world. I always like reading new stories, so make sure to tag my story as inspiration so I can find your story that much faster.
> 
> PS -The contest I mentioned last week is still ongoing. If you're curious, you can find more information on my profile.

Alphonse soon led Edward out of the public area and into a section of the city that held little to no people as far as the blonde could tell. It looked deserted, not even stray animals were around.

The whole thing gave Ed the chills.

“Al, why don’t we turn back now?” Ed asked, pressing a hand to Al’s torso. “Alphonse?”

The armor didn’t stop moving forwards, but Al finally responded. “B-Brother?”

“Al!” Ed gave a sigh of relief at hearing his brother speak. “Al, what’s going on? You just got up and started walking! You haven’t said anything in fifteen minutes!”

“I-I don’t know…Brother, I can’t…” Al’s voice wavered, “I can’t move my body.”

“What do you mean?” Ed frowned, trying to keep pace with his brother’s longer legs. “You’re moving right now.”

“No, I…” Al’s head jerked to the side, “That’s not me. Something else is controlling me.”

As he said this, the armor stopped right in front of a set of wide doors. Ed stopped with him, hiding behind Al’s form. If anyone attacked his brother, he’d at least have the element of surprise on his side.

The doors slowly swung open and Al started again, feet less sure now that he was fighting it. Ed scrambled in just as the doors closed behind him.

“Well, it’s good to see you again.” A voice said from the middle of the room. The sound of it made Ed’s blood boil. “I hope you and Nina had fun playing. I had been hoping she’d leave you in pieces, but we’ll get there eventually.”

“Too bad for you, she’s the one in pieces.” Ed said, stepping around Al. In the center of the room, Shou Tucker stood in the middle of a strange pattern that covered the length of the floor. The man merely blinked at Edward.

“What do you mean?” Tucker asked, frowning in confusion. “Nina is a good girl. She knows not to let herself crumble. I’ve had to teach her that the hard way.”

“Yeah, well, when you ordered her to ‘play’, you didn’t take into account that she’s not one for tea parties.” Ed spat. “She fought Al until she fell to pieces! And it’s _your fault_!”

“My fault?” Tucker yelled back, growing angry. He jabbed a finger in Ed’s direction. “You should have kept your golem in better control! She fought because he resisted! It’s your fault!”

“I will _never_ order Al around!” Ed shouted, his voice echoing in the room. “That’s what makes me different from _you_!”

“Aw, how _noble_.” A third voice said from behind Ed.

“Brother!” Al warned, but it was too late. Something pushed Ed with enough force to send him flying several feet forward. He landed hard on the ground with a skid, the wind knocked out of him.

“Wha-?” he gasped, trying to breathe. He curled his fingers into the gritty cement, slowly forcing himself to his knees.

“Tucker, get your head out of your ass and focus.” The being said, its violet eyes narrowing in warning. “We want to get this done before sun-down.”

“I’m working on it.” Tucker replied. “I’ve already started the collection ritual. We just need to wait for the material to get here before I can start on the reconstruction.”

“Hey, so it looks like I’ll be needing a little entertainment.” the being looked back down at Edward with a smug grin. “Do I have a volunteer?”

“Like hell I am!” Ed shouted as he launched himself at the being. The –boy? Girl? –thing yelped when he attacked, solid fists and jabbing elbows. The being leapt backwards, twice the length a human could jump and landed far away.

“Hey, now!” the thing grumbled, “Fighting hurts!”

“No shit.” Edward said, biting into his left thumb to make it bleed. Crouching swiftly, he slammed his bleeding hand onto the ground before lifting it away along with a lance made of solid concrete. “What do you want with Al?!”

“Oh, tough guy, huh?” It laughed, rolling its shoulders. “Maybe I ought to take you down a notch. What’d’ya think?”

“I’d like to see you try!” Ed taunted, lance raised. He flicked his bangs out of his eyes and in that split second that his attention was diverted, the thing appeared before him, far too close for the lance to be of any affect. Golden eyes widened in surprise, then pain as a fist planted itself in his gut.

*          *          *          *          *

The train whistle blew as Roy’s train pulled into Central station. The Guild Master felt his stomach flip as he got off the train and recognized a statue posed at the exit. He felt that feeling bubble up into his chest as he realized that Armstrong and Hawkeye had met up, but that Edward must have been gone already if the other statue he saw across the square was any indication.

He slipped his hand into his pocket, fingering the coal ores that he always kept on hand. It had been a while since he’d needed to put that particular skill to use, but…

If that’s what was called for, he’d be able to rise to the challenge.

*          *          *          *          *

Ed hit the ground with a thud, limbs twitching with pain as he tried to get his vision to clear up. He coughed, his chest rattling as blood dribbled between his lips. His chest felt like it was on fire.

“Is the little Golem Lord tired?” the being asked with a laugh as it sauntered closer. “It must be his bed time.”

“Envy…” another presence made itself known, this one shorter, but disproportionately large. He looked like his legs should have collapsed under him, but they held strong. “Envy, can I eat him? I’m hungry…”

“Not yet, Gluttony, I’m still having my fun.” The being, Envy, answered, kicking the blonde while he was down. The teen’s breath left him in a choked huff. “But you can have him after that.”

_Eat me?_ Edward wondered, blinking his eyes to focus them. _No human would…_

But these things weren’t human. Their strength and agility were unheard of in anything other than- “G-golem…?”

“Ew!” Envy wrinkled its nose. “Don’t compare us with those mud-walkers! It’s so… belittling!”

_Mud-walkers_ … not creatures or objects. They were similar, but not the same. They could be made out of something different, but coal, metal, clay, they all came from the same place. The only thing different was…

Golden eyes widened in shock, “You’re puppets?”

“Aw, little Golem Lord’s figured it out. Why you gotta go do that for?” Envy huffed, planting a foot on Ed’s left arm and increasing the pressure until it snapped. The teen let out a scream that echoed through the warehouse. “We were having so much fun pretending to be human!”

“Brother!”

“Quiet you!” Envy snapped.

Wheezing as his entire body throbbed with pain, Ed panted, “What… do you want… with Al?”

“Him? Oh, we need him to complete a little ritual of ours.” Envy said off-handedly, “A little reconstruction ritual.”

“What?!” Ed gasped as Envy kicked him again.

“Yeah, you see, those pages your father had? They were the only known copies of Geppetto’s last rite.” A bony heel jabbed into his ribs. The blonde was sure he felt a crack, “And if we want to get those pages, we need the material that’s bound within your golem.”

“He’s… my brother.” Ed rasped through the pain. His chest shuddered and he coughed. A clot of blood splattered onto the ground.

“Correction: he _was_ your brother.” Envy ground its heel into the blonde’s ribs. “Now, he’s just a golem with a few add-on abilities and some valuable information inside of him.”

“Can I eat him, Envy? Please” Gluttony begged, his stomach grumbling.

“I told you, after!”  Envy sneered, kicking Ed again before wandering over to the scruffy man. “How’s it looking, Tucker?”

“I see a dust storm in the distance.” Tucker replied, looking out a window with a spy glass. “That ought to be the rest of the book. Once that gets here, all we have to do is set down the new pattern and start the reconstruction ritual.”

“Brother!” Al screamed. Ed felt his vision fading and the pain in his chest and arm doubling. It felt like his skin was burning.

_Fire and heat..._

“I can almost taste perfection!”

“Brother, help!”

_The cracking of the timber as it weakened in the flames…_

“Shut up, you mud-walker!”

_The golem, heated by the inferno, grabbing him, **burning** him, carrying him away…_

“Brother, please! Get up!”

“I said shut up!”

_The silence that followed his brother’s cries._

No, not again. He couldn’t let it happen again.

Reaching forward with his crippled right hand, he pressed a shaking scarred finger into the pool of blood dripping from his lips and then down onto the cold untouched concrete.

**E**

“Envy! He’s writing his will in his own blood!” Gluttony said from above him.

**M**

“What are you talking about, Gluttony?” Envy grouched from his place by Tucker.

**E**

“He’s dying and writing his last words!” Gluttony clapped in glee, “E-M-E-T-!”

**T**

A shocked pause before: “Gluttony, you _idiot_! Kill him! _Now_!”

**H**

The ground rumbled and shook and Envy cursed. Ed coughed again, more blood splattering into the puddle, barely missing the word he had written.

**EMETH**

“Tucker! Change of plans! Pack up everything for the reconstruction ritual and get out!” Envy ordered. “Gluttony! Grab the golem and let’s _go_!”

_No._

“No.” Ed rasped, his vision blurring. The wind was picking up outside, dust spinning in vortexes.

_Don’t take him._

“Don’t…” Shou Tucker raced out a side door, bag overflowing with supplies.

_Stop them!_

“Stop…” Gluttony waddled over to Al.

The ground erupted, rocks and boulders spewing forth. A monstrous roar shook the facility.

“Gluttony!” Envy shouted. A still forming hand swept the puppet away, backhanding him into a wall.

The fat puppet looked up from where he had stopped to grab Alphonse. “Huh?”

A giant hand swept down and snatched him up. The face, if it could be called that, of the golem opened wide, a gaping maw as it roared. To Ed’s ears, the roar was muffled, the battle blurred. One minute Envy was there, the next, he was gone and Gluttony was in the golem’s grasp. And Al…

Al was stranded in the midst of the golem’s war-path.

“No…” Ed coughed, body twitching as he tried to move, to stand, to _get to his brother_ , “Al…”

“Brother!” Al struggled against his unmoving body as the golem tore into Gluttony, swallowing him down whole. “Help!”

Gleaming red eyes fastened themselves to the small golem at the cry.

“Brother!” the cry was muffled

_Al!_

Ed couldn’t even speak. His head throbbed with his heart beat and his breath rasped in his throat.

_Sorry, Al._

His eyes slowly started to close as he watched his brother finally squirm free, the dust having made its way to the building, filtering in through the window. The collection ritual was complete.

_I’m so sorry…_

A rough hand pushed him onto his back, jerked him into a sitting position, and then pulled him over a bony shoulder. Ed felt his ribs protest as pain blossomed, nearly making him pass out. “Metal, you idiot!”

_Roy?_

“You should know better than to create a golem based on desperation! Now it’s on a rampage!” the guild master lectured as he hauled the teen away from the golem. “Are you still alive? Don’t you dare die on me mid-lecture!”

“Al…” Ed rasped, his tongue thick in his mouth.

“Armstrong’s got him! The team is keeping the golem distracted until we get you two to safety.” Roy said, his voice raised over the roar of the golem and still barely audible to the fast-fading blonde.

“Good…” the tension flew out of the blonde in a rush, leaving him slumped over the raven-haired man’s shoulder.

“Metal?” the Flame Lord asked, “Elric?”

When no response came, he grew worried. Glancing back, he decided the two had enough distance from the rampaging golem and ducked behind an archway for cover. Carefully placing the teen on the ground, he gave the small shoulders a shake.

“Edward!” he tried again. “Come on! Don’t die on me, you little brat!”

No reaction to the word ‘little’. Something was wrong.

_Get it together, Mustang! You’ve been through the Military Guild! You have been in more stressful situations than this!_ Two shaking fingers slid along the Metal Lord’s neck, searching for a pulse. Worry grew into fear until he finally found it.

The pulse was weak and fluttery, but still there. Mustang breathed a sigh of relief.

“Brother!” A desperate cry broke the guild master out of his reverie.

“Alphonse.” Roy greeted solemnly as the golem ran up. The human-like golem knelt beside his brother as Armstrong came to a halt behind him.

“Brother! Is he…?” the golem looked pale, the skin taut around his eyes. Mustang knew, logically, that it was probably an effect of the dust in the area and the golem’s own brush with ‘death’, but, with a golem like Al, he wasn’t too sure.

“He’s alive.” Mustang answered, “But he’s weak. We need to get him to a hospital as soon as possible.”

The golem sighed in relief, reaching out to hold his brother’s limp hand, careful not to move it too much. Feeling like he was intruding, Mustang turned his attention to Armstrong. “I need you to take these two to Central Hospital. Stay with them until we come back.”

Armstrong nodded and knelt beside the elder brother to position him.

“Have they managed to figure out where the EMETH is?” Mustang asked.

“From what anyone can tell, it’s on the top of the skull.” Armstrong said, looking over at the beast. Mustang followed his gaze.

“On top of the skull… and right above those nasty teeth.” Roy gave a mirthless laugh, “You couldn’t make this easy, could you Metal?”

“Sir.” Alphonse said as Armstrong lifted his brother over a muscled shoulder. “There were… there were people from the Military Guild.”

“The Military Guild?”

Al nodded, “They were the ones who kidnapped me. They… they said they were puppets.”

“…Of course, they are.” Roy said, exasperated. The amount of trouble these two got into… “Where are they now?”

“One got thrown into the wall. I haven’t seen it since, so I think it ran off.” Al replied, “The other… got eaten by Brother’s golem.”

“…Of _course_ it did.” Roy rubbed at the bridge of his nose. Could this day get any better?

At that moment, Ed hacked out a glob of blood.

_Internal bleeding, yay_. Roy thought as he turned his back on the trio. “You three get going. We’ll take care of things here.”

With that, Roy turned to face the embodiment of the elder Elric’s rage and desperation.

Digging some coal ore out of his pocket, the Flame Lord dashed forward. When he got close enough, Hawkeye, Havoc, and Breda fell into formation beside him. The golem sensed the change in the air and threw its head back and roared.

A giant hand rose up slowly and, by the shadow, Roy knew exactly where it would be coming down. “Team, split up! I want a diversion at three o’clock. Hawkeye, keep its eyes on you!”

“Sir!”

Immediately, the team split under the shadow of the hand and Roy came to a stop. Calculating trajectory and speed, Roy hopped back a single step, then threw three coal ores into the air. Right as the rampaging golem slammed its hand down, Roy snapped his fingers, signaling the coal golems to explode.

The raging golem above him let out a shriek that threatened to make Roy’s ears bleed.

The hand slammed down around him, fingers missing him by inches as he aptly picked a gap. Using the dust and smoke as cover, he leapt onto the hand, stumbling as pieces crumbled beneath him and reformed just as quickly. Roy cursed, knowing it was a sign of an unhinged golem. He’d hope the golem had only be reacting to its master’s pain and despair, but that didn’t seem to be the case.

Racing up the golem’s arm, he sent coal ores flying to cover his team when the golem locked eyes on them. The golem rumbled and swiped at the smoke with one hand, losing it in the process by some pretty sharp shooting from the team. Outraged, the golem roared and raised its other hand to attack as the first started to reform.

“Fall back!” Mustang shouted as he reached the shoulder. From his belt, he pulled a knife, then nearly lost his footing when the golem suddenly reared at his voice. Its hips had nearly made it out of the ground by now, the ground around starting to part for legs.

“Sir!” Hawkeye called.

“Fall! Back!” Mustang ordered again as he dug his knife into the side of the golem’s head. For a few minutes, it was just the golem and Roy as the beast tried to buck him off. Then bullets coming from the other side caught the creature’s attention and Roy let out an exasperated sigh.

“Hawkeye!”

“Demote me later, Sir, when you’re still alive to do so!” she yelled over the golem’s roar. Laughing humorlessly to himself, Roy pushed his body up, climbing hand over hand and using the knife to dig in when there wasn’t any handhold.

Finally, he found himself staring at the EMETH that was the life and soul of any golem. Digging his knife out of the crevice it was currently lodged in, Roy stabbed it into the space at the top right of the E and slashed a jagged line down to the left. The rock beneath his blade twisted, tore, and crumbled, irrevocably damaging the letter and leaving nothing but METH behind.

Abruptly, the golem stilled, mid-roar, all limbs absolutely motionless. Then, pieces by pieces, it started to crumble. Racing against time, Roy leapt down from head to shoulder and slid down the disintegrating arm to trip into a roll as the rest of the torso scattered around him.

When he rolled to a stop, nothing remained of the golem but a half-formed pile of rubble.

“Good work, Sir.” Hawkeye said, offering him a hand.

“Thank you, Hawkeye.” Mustang said, taking her hand and getting to his feet. “And thank you for ignoring my orders and keeping the golem distracted.”

“Any time, Sir.” She replied, holstering her gun. “Havoc and Breda are scouting the perimeter, looking for the suspects.”

“Ah, right.” Roy said, looking back at the pile of rubble. “Alphonse said that there was one that was eaten… Do you think…?”

“It’s entirely possible.” Hawkeye said, “I’ll get the team in here and check it out.”

“Good.” Roy said, crossing his arms and glaring at the carcass of the Metal Lord’s despair. “Then maybe we can get to the bottom of things.”

*          *          *          *          *

Not so far away, on the road between Central and the town of Dublith, Hohenhiem looked up from the dirt path he walked. A wind rippled past, kicking up a soft dust cloud and carrying it back the way he had come.

“Hmm…” he hummed in thought and sighed, “So, it has come to that.”

He turned back around, keeping towards his destination. He would have to deal with some irate puppets soon, but they would have to find him first. He could enjoy his ‘vacation’ in the meantime.

*          *          *          *          *

The life stages of a golem are quite simple.

First, there is design. In this phase, the creator is devising the way that his golem shall be portrayed –its image, material, special abilities. This stage is also when its goal or ‘job’ as it were, is determined by the creator.

Following design is the creation of the golem. After this phase, the creator can imprint other masters into the golem’s loyalty program as well as any permanent tasks that will be asked of it. At this point, the golem enters into a waiting stage. It continues to work and follow orders until it degrades and gets to the third stage.

The third stage is the ‘end of life’ of the golem. At this time, the owners of the golem can choose to have the golem remade, recycled, or demolished. Each owner is different. Those with emotional attachments will typically ask for a golem to be remade as it is, or recycled into a different purpose. This option is expensive, however, and often times it is cheaper to just buy a new golem rather than recycle an old one.

There is another stage, a fourth stage that is avoided as much as possible by owners and creators alike. This stage is called ‘unhinged’. Golems that become unhinged go on rampages and can endanger not only those around them, but also their masters should they be pushed far enough. These golems can only be destroyed; there is no option to recycle or reuse them. METH is the only option.


	18. Eighteenth Stop: the Hospital

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I don't own Fullmetal Alchemist or its characters.
> 
> The world, however, is mine and currently under development. If it inspires you, feel free to write more in the world. I always like reading new stories, so make sure to tag my story as inspiration so I can find your story that much faster.
> 
> PS- The contest I started is still ongoing. If you're interested, there's more information on my profile page.

Ling was silent as he carved his knife into what used to be the puppet’s hand. The thumb had come off, the middle and ring fingers evened up and the pinkie and index fingers shortened significantly.

“And that’s the real story of Geppetto.” The puppet finished grandly, shooting a smug look at the Xingese prince. “Not exactly what they tell in preschool.”

“Well, I wouldn’t know.” Ling shrugged, “Since Xing is expressly forbidden from attempting to gain knowledge on golems and puppets alike.”

“Why is that?” the puppet asked. “I’d think something like that would be an asset rather than a hindrance.”

“Why?” Ling smiled at him. “For the exact same reason as your story. People would attempt that and have done so in the past. Xing is merely trying to avert a disaster before it happens.”

“Seems like you’re really missing out.” The puppet noted.

“We have some ‘golems’ but nothing like beastials or humanoids. We deal in only abstract, things that can make life easier for the common person. Anything past that is punishable by law.” Ling stated as he cut into the palm of the hand.

The puppet was silent for a while, before asking, “What are you doing there?”

“Oh, am I hurting you?” Ling asked, the thought just occurring to him.

“Puppets and golems don’t feel pain.” The puppet replied. “I’m just curious, since you’re using _my hand_ and all.”

“Ah, well, I figured that it would be unpleasant to just lay wherever I throw you for however long it takes your body to regenerate.” Ling sliced off another portion of the wood. “So I figured I’d make a smaller body for you.”

“You didn’t even ask if it would go back to normal before you started cutting!” the puppet huffed.

“Will it?”

“Well, _yeah_.”

“Then I see nothing to worry about.” Ling laughed.

The puppet frowned at him, then let out a bark of a laugh. “I like you, kid. You’re a strange one all right! What’s your name?”

“Ling Yao, crowned prince of Xing.” Ling smiled broadly. “And you?”

“Greed.” The puppet answered, “The 22nd of Geppetto’s line.”

“Nice to meet you.” Ling said, “I’d offer to shake your hand, but…”

“Travelling with you _might not_ be so bad.” Greed said before asking, “So, what’s it like in Xing?”

Ling smiled.

*          *          *          *          *

 

Ed woke slowly, his mind in a strange haze. His eyes and mouth felt crusty, making him wonder just how long he had been out. There was a strange ache in his body. It throbbed like it should hurt more, but something was making it fuzzy. Why would his body feel like it had been used like a training gol-?

Ed lurched, sitting up with a jerk that made his ribs protest. He groaned with pain as he wrapped his arms around his middle. His body felt like it was on fire again, but he couldn’t even focus on that because he needed to know where _Al was and-!_

“Brother?” A tentative question came from his left. Ed’s neck whipped around so fast, he felt the tinge of a sprain.

“ _Alphonse!_ ” he couldn’t help the relief that swept through his entire being or the tears that leaked from his eyes. He didn’t care if made him look childish, his brother was _safe_! “Alphonse!”

“Brother!” the human-like golem echoed, opening his arms for the blonde to throw himself into. Ed gripped his brother close, pulling the golem onto the bed in the process, not that Al seemed to mind.

“Al, what happened?” Ed asked, face still buried in Al’s shoulder. “I know I blacked out, but before that is a little fuzzy.”

“Well… you fought with the skinny puppet, Envy.” Al stated with a frown. “You got beat up pretty badly too. Some ribs cracked and your ulna snapped clean in two. You also had some internal bleeding that they had to go in and fix. You’ve been out for two days.”

“Which-?” Ed pulled away to examine his arms, finding that it was the left that had been broken. “Dammit, seriously? It couldn’t have gone for the _right_ one?”

 “For as much trouble as you caused us, a broken arm should be the least of your worries.” Mustang groused as he threw a stack of papers onto the bedside dresser. “Merry Christmas, Happy Birthday –you get paperwork.”

“Paperwork?!” Ed exclaimed, “How am I supposed to do paperwork with a _broken arm_?!”

“Well, you should have thought about that before you _created a golem in the middle of down town Central_!” Roy snapped. “Besides, it’s not like you’ve only got one arm!”

At the comment, a tense silence filled the room. No angry retort was forthcoming. Mustang had to wonder if he had stepped on another Elric landmine he hadn’t known about.

There were frighteningly many.

“I don’t… a golem?” Edward frowned down at his sheets, trying to piece together the events from before. “I… kind of… remember?”

“They were going to perform the reconstruction ritual.” Al provided. “They were going to try to recompile Geppetto’s Book using the pieces from me.”

Roy held up his hand to get their attention. “Why didn’t they just steal the one from the S-class library?”

“I’m trying to figure that out.” Edward said, digging his nails into the sheets. “Maybe there are seals or something from keeping golems out?”

“Normal ones, yes.” Roy stated, “But ones like Alphonse? Those who have ‘souls’ so to speak? I very much doubt it.”

“They said something about Geppetto’s Last Rite…” Alphonse noted. “Do you know anything about that?”

“I bet _that bastard_ knows.” Ed huffed, looking off to the side. Roy raised an eyebrow, but shook his head.

“I’m afraid I have no idea. I can look into it though.” Roy replied. “So, they want to reconstruct Geppetto’s book…?”

 “They had to use a collection ritual first.” Alphonse said, picking up where he’d left off. “That’s why I couldn’t help but walk there, Brother.”

“And then Tucker was going to do it.” Ed said, teeth gritted in his anger. “That slimy bastard-!”

“Did you say Tucker?” Roy asked with a frown. “Shou Tucker?”

“Yeah.” Ed answered, “I ran into him on the streets and he had us follow him back to his home. There, we met…” the blonde fell silent, hi face downcast.

“Met who?” Roy’s eyebrows furrowed. He didn’t remember anyone living with Tucker.

“Nina.” Al supplied. “His daughter.”

“His wife.” Ed corrected with a steely glare.

“His golem.” Al shot back with a raised eyebrow.

Roy shot them both a look of confusion. “Which is it?”

The brothers shared a look before answering in unison, “All three.”

“Tucker used his wife for the Sacrificial Rite in order to become a full-time member of the Military Guild.” Ed explained.

“Then, dividing up her ashes allowed him to make multiples of her, but they were… younger I guess is the right term.” Al continued.

“He ordered her to keep us occupied while he got everything for the ritual set up, but…” Ed winced, fingers twisting the sheets so hard they started to tear.

“She fought with me.” Al said, not a hint of remorse in his voice. “She asked me to fight with her and I did, right up until she destroyed herself. It’s what she wanted.”

Roy would have asked how Al knew, but he was sure the golem had asked Al such. He didn’t seem the type to make stuff up, even to make his brother and master feel better. “I see… we’ll send a search party to look through Tucker’s house for evidence. I have a feelings that we know who the culprits are.”

“You mean the puppets?” Ed asked, finally looking up from his hands.

“We believe they were the original founders of the Military Guild, more commonly known as the Sins Guild to the public. Alphonse told us one was called Envy, we have one in custody called Gluttony and he keeps asking for another called Lust.” Roy explained. “With Shou Tucker thrown into the mix, it’s suffice to say that some, if not _all_ of the Guild, are in on the puppet’s plans.”

“Wouldn’t someone have gone to the Senate yet?” Edward asked, nervously. Surely someone was humane enough to be outraged at what they were doing.

“As of yet, no.” Roy shook his head in disgust. “There could be a number of reasons. The puppets might have only told a select few they thought trustworthy, or perhaps members are being blackmailed to keep their silence. After all, the Sacrificial Rite _is_ the initiation test. No Guild would want someone after that.”

Edward hummed in thought, knowing that, even if a Guild wanted someone, they would be wallowing in guilt so deep that there wasn’t a way out. Often times, it felt like that to Ed, at least.

“I’ll discuss this new information with my team and send some people out to search.” Roy said, rubbing a hand down one side of his face. Ed stared at him for a long time, feeling the air shift around them. When Roy spoke, it was with a darker tone, “If that’s everything you know-?”

“Who died?” Ed asked abruptly. Al and Roy both gave him bemused looked. “You… seem more down than usual.” Golden eyes widened in realization, “Please tell me I didn’t kill anyone when I made that golem!”

“No, none of the populace was nearby. The puppets probably had that plan in effect so as to not raise suspicion.” Roy answered, crossing his arms.

Ed shifted on the bed, “So then… who…?”

Roy took a deep breath. “Maes Hughes was found dead this past week in Resembool, by a house out in the country.”

Ed inhaled sharply, his mind not able to process this. “W-wait, you’re joking, right?”

“Does it look like I’m joking?” Roy asked, his face grim and his eyes burn with anger at the thought that he would joke about _this_.

“I…No, of course…Why was he… who-?” Ed’s fingers tightened in the sheets again, making the tears widened.

Roy watched his reaction and let go of his anger. It was no use losing his temper at someone who had been victim to the same grief as him –perhaps more since he was directly involved. “We have reason to believe that the puppets had been out there checking out your house. When Maes went down there to do a background check, he found them and they killed him in order to keep their presence a secret.”

“It’s my fault.” Ed stated, voice shaking. “If I hadn’t joined your Guild, he wouldn’t have needed to check my background! He could of-!”

“I sent him down.” Roy argued. “I sent him and he went of his own freewill. He chose you out of the other contestants because he saw something special in you. You are here because he wanted you to be and you will not beat yourself up over this! He had already finished his report and was to head out that day. He just… he was in the wrong place at the wrong time. That is no one’s fault, not even his.”

“But I-!”

“If you want to make things right, let’s find the puppet that did this to him and take them out once and for all.” Roy said darkly, the anger coming back to his eyes, this time directed elsewhere.

Edward opened his mouth to argue, but no words came out. Instead, he closed it and swallowed, nodding in agreement.

“Good.” Roy said, trying to quell his anger. “Finish your paperwork. I expect it to be turned in by tomorrow evening.”

Edward didn’t say anything and Roy left without another word.

*          *          *          *          *

Some hours later, Roy was in his office, working through some claims from the city about the damage the Metal Lord’s golem created. He was surprised when Alphonse knocked on his door. Thankfully, the golem was clothed. Roy knew his habits of nudity.

“Come in.” Roy offered, setting a piece of paper to the side to sign another. “I thought you were with Edward… in the hospital… on the other side of town.”

“I know how to be discrete when I need to be.” The golem replied. Roy waited for more, but the younger Elric stayed silent. When Roy had made his way through a few more signatures, the golem broke the silence.

“Brother doesn’t like to use that arm.” Alphonse said, finally seeming to be willing to answer Roy’s questions.

“Why?” Roy asked as he shuffled another stack of paper into a folder. “There seems to be nothing wrong with it.”

“That’s not entirely true.” Al hung his head. “It… the scars remind Brother of things he’s done and things he couldn’t do. More than that though, they aren’t just superficial. The fire had caused muscle and nerve damage in his arm. He can still move it and grip objects, but finer movement is out of the question. Holding a pen to write is just impossible.”

Roy propped his chin onto his knuckles and regarded Alphonse with a thoughtful stare. “So there was a reason for his complaints earlier.”

Alphonse nodded. “I try to help as best as I can, but few golems can interpret letters, let alone write. Those that do, do so after much design work on the crafter’s part and as you know…”

“Edward didn’t truly ‘design’ you.” Roy nodded. “I can see your point. I might have been too harsh with him earlier. I will admit that I have… not been on my best behavior. It seems that many things are happening at once and I am having difficulty keeping up.”

Al nodded. “I understand. I cannot empathize, but I can draw from memories and extrapolate how you might feel.”

“That is… probably the nicest thing someone has said to me all day.” Roy admitted with reluctance. That was mostly due to him be a jerk all day, but it was nice to hear something truthful instead of empty words. “Is that all?”

“Actually, there’s another thing.” Alphonse stated with a frown. “Brother might not know this himself, but… I believe he has empathy.”

“Well, most humans have empathy. It’s how we get excel as a species.” Roy raised an eyebrow. “I assume that’s not what you meant?”

“No, Brother…” Alphonse frowned, trying to find the right words. “He doesn’t realize it, but his emotions change quickly depending on the mood of those around him. Before, when he ran into Tucker, he became nervous like the man was. Today, in the hospital room, I believe he was sensing your sorrow and responding to it. Had you been thinking of Maes at that time?”

“I…” Roy gritted his teeth against the onslaught of grief. “Yes. For missions like that, gathering information and such, Maes would have been the first person I asked, but…”

“I don’t think Brother realized it as he had trouble explaining it when you asked, but I think it’s something he picks up on from people around him.” Alphonse continued. “Being around a lot of people exhausts him and he often switches emotions too quickly to make sense of.”

“Has he always been like this?” Roy asked, folding his hands together before him.

“I don’t know.” Alphonse got that look in his eyes, like he was looking into the past. “I don’t remember him reacting so much when I was human, but… since I have been a golem, and without emotions of my own, I’ve noticed more and more that Brother seems… unstable. It could be something that came from the Rite. Tucker mentioned something to that effect.”

“But you aren’t sure.” Roy concluded. Alphonse shook his head in response. “I’ll look into it as much as I can at the moment. If I can find anything about it or ways to curb it, I’ll let you know.”

“Thank you.” Al beamed at him, then turned to leave Roy with his thoughts.

*          *          *          *          *

The next day found the other Elric knocking on Roy’s door. Edward didn’t even wait for Roy to answer before barging in.

“I’ve got those reports done.” Ed said, throwing the papers down onto Roy’s desk, messing up the semblance of order he had started to get.

“Good morning to you too.” Roy groused, rubbing at his eyes. He’d had a late night in the library and early morning in the office. He really just wanted to go to sleep. “To what do I owe the pleasure?”

“Can’t a member just want to see his Guild Master?” Edward hummed mischievously. The two stared at each other, Roy making it pointedly obvious that he wasn’t buying the façade. When Edward refused to answer, Roy picked up his report to start working his way through the chicken-scratch handwriting.

“I’m going out of town.” Ed stated, breaking his silence with a determined glare. Roy paused mid-sentence to spare the teen a glance.

Looking down to finish his sentence, he asked, “When will you and Alphonse be expecting to return?”

“Al’s not going.”

This made Roy pause to process. Ed going somewhere _without_ Al? That didn’t seem physically _possible_. Roy just had to state the obvious. “This is unexpected.”

Ed fidgeted, the fingers from his cast arm wiggling uselessly. He watched them for several seconds, as if he didn’t recognize the hand they belonged to. Then they tightened into the nearest approximation of a fist that they could accomplish.

Steeling himself, Ed spoke, “The puppets are after Al. They need him in order to perform a reconstruction ritual and obtain a version of Geppetto’s book that must be different from the one in the library, from what I’ve gathered. They won’t stop until they succeed.” Ed leaned against the wall, unwilling to meet Roy’s intense stare. “Al is safer here, with all of you. Hawkeye, Armstrong, and you… you guys can protect him better than me.”

“… I don’t think Alphonse will appreciate you leaving him behind.” Roy pointed out.

Ed scoffed, “Oh, he’ll be livid, but it’s not forever. I just… need to be strong enough to defend him.”

“So you’re leaving to get stronger?” Roy clarified.

“Mmm.” Ed confirmed.

“And where are you going?” Roy questioned, “In case Alphonse asks.”

Ed pressed his cast to his stomach and paled. “To teacher.”

*          *          *          *          *

Before the Silence, there was a world full of magic. Magic users weren’t just secluded to the upper class or to those wealthy enough to afford it. Magic was for everyone and was used to make the community better as a whole.

There were many different types of magic: fire users that could conjure a flame with the snap of a finger, water users that could heal the deadliest of diseases, even curse-breakers that could unravel the strongest of hexes.

Just as there was good magic, there was bad –the dark arts. One of the most famous of these, was necromancy –the art of bringing dead things to life once more.


	19. Nineteenth Stop: Dublith

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I don't own Fullmetal Alchemist or its characters.
> 
> The world, however, is mine and currently under development. If it inspires you, feel free to write more in the world. I always like reading new stories, so make sure to tag my story as inspiration so I can find your story that much faster.
> 
> PS- The contest I started is still ongoing. I haven't had any submissions yet. :/ I thought for sure someone would write something, especially since I'm offering to write a gift fic for them, but I guess not?

Meeting Teacher again was the scariest thing that Ed had done in his whole life, including going up against those puppets.

“Edward.” She greeted. “I thought you’d run away two years ago. What are you doing back here now?”

“I…” Edward swallowed, suddenly remembering every ‘lesson’ she had taught him, followed swiftly by an elbow to the gut or palm to the face. How many times had she thrown him into the bushes when he failed to meet a task?

He really wanted to run away again, but he… he needed to do this for Al. Swallowing his pride and fear, Edward straightened up and answered, “I need you to train me again, Teacher!”

“No.” she said immediately, turning back to the book she had been reading. Her husband continued to cut meat behind the counter.

“Eh?” Ed blinked, “But-!”

“Edward, you have a cast on your _arm_.” She drawled, leaning her cheek against her palm. “You are in no condition to train –crafting or fighting. You are in no condition to fight and crafting requires two hands.”

“Mine doesn’t.” Edward argued, bringing the thumb of his right hand up to bite into. Blood welled from the bite.

“What are you…?” Teacher blinked at him, her face confused as he grabbed the brick doorstop. Her expression turned horrified when, in a flash of light, it transformed before her eyes. It was now a statue, but it was deformed, disproportional with the rest of the figure.

Her horror turned to anger as her husband closed the shop door and switched the ‘Open’ sign to ‘Closed’. “You _idiot_! What have you _done_?! _Who_ was it?! Who did you sacrifice?!”

“It…” Edward set the statue on the counter. “It was Alphonse.”

“Your brother? The one that made you come begging to me in the first place? The one that _you were training for, to keep fed and clothed? To pay for his medicine!?_ ” her voice rose as anger took over her features. She stalked around the counter, forcing Edward to take fearful steps backwards. “ _To think you would show your face here after you-!_ ”

“It was an _accident_!” Edward shouted over her, fearfully trying to explain before she outright killed him. “There was a storm! A fire! I couldn’t get to him in time! The entire house burned down with him! I couldn’t… I couldn’t _leave him there!_ ”

“ _Nothing_ is ever just an _accident_!” she yelled back, feeling her anger start to quell. Her old pupil was cowering against the wall, fear and shame blatant in his eyes.

“I didn’t know what I was doing!” he swore, “I just… I couldn’t be alone! I couldn’t let Al go! _Not like that!_ ”

“So you _turned him into a golem!?_ A thing that can’t feel anything?! A thing that _isn’t human?!_ ”

“I know! I know it was stupid!” he hung his head in shame. “But I’m trying to fix it! That’s why I need your help! I-I-!”

She stared at him, looking him over. His shoulders were hunched in and his cast arm was propped protectively in front of his stomach. His breathing seemed labored. No doubt whatever had given him that cast had given him a few other injuries that weren’t so nice.

And he was still asking her for help.

She let out a sigh and reached for him. Edward flinched at the sudden movement and held stock still as she drew him into an embrace. He was taller than when he’d left, she noted absently. Before, he’d only reached the bottom of her ribcage. Now he was at shoulder height.

Realization slowly dawning on Edward, he felt his throat close up and silent tears come to his eyes. “I’m sorry.” He whispered, “Forgive me, Teacher. I’m sorry.”

“I know, Edward, I know.” She pet his hair as he slowly calmed down. “Why don’t you start from the beginning?”

And so he did. Edward told her about the accident at his home that had forced him to stop coming, about the brother that he couldn’t bear to introduce her to. He told her about the Golem Lord Exam, the Smelting Guild and its Guild Master, Mustang. He told her about the puppets and the fight that he’d lost days before.

“I need to be stronger.” He said. “I made Al what he is, now I need to protect him.”

“That’s not all.” Izumi replied, poking at his statue, “How did you ever become a Golem Lord with work like _this_. I _know_ my pupil didn’t use to make crap.”

“That happened in the fire.” Edward drew back the sleeve of his right arm. “A golem carried me out of the house and burned me in the process. The nerve damage makes it hard to use when normally crafting. Whenever I attempt to use the skills I’ve gained from the Sacrificial Rite, it comes out warped like that.”

The dark-haired woman regarded it for several moments before nodding. “We’ll start bright and early tomorrow with your crafting skills. Once those are back in shape, we’ll take a look at your fighting style. Something tells me you haven’t been keeping up with your daily routine.”

Edward paled, but nodded in confirmation.

“You best prepare yourself, Edward.” Teacher grinned maliciously as she cracked her knuckles. “I’ll have to teach you a lesson for running away from me.”

Edward paled further, turning white as a sheet.

Izumi’s husband just added some ground beef to a skillet, starting on dinner.

*          *          *          *          *

“I don’t like this.” Alphonse grumbled, crossing his arms.

“Alphonse, you know what your brother would say if he were here.” Roy sighed, rubbing at his temples to try and rid himself of the migraine starting.

“But Brother isn’t _here_.” Alphonse argued for the umpteenth time. “He ran off to Teacher.”

“And I know you are mad-“ Roy rolled his eyes at the glare from the golem, “Okay, not mad. Golems and emotions don’t mix, got it. I understand that you are displeased with him leaving you here, but it really is for the best. We have a guard watching 24/7 to make sure you don’t just walk off again without someone knowing. We have the best team of people in your corner to keep the puppets away. It really is better than what Edward could have done.”

“ _Brother_ should _be here_.” Alphonse protested, his fingers digging into his faux-skin. “When is he coming back?”

“He hasn’t told me yet.” Roy said. “But I believe it will be after he’s gotten stronger as that _is_ what he went down for originally.”

Al huffed and turned to stare out the window towards Dublith. “Brother, hurry up.” He mumbled into the window frame.

*          *          *          *          *

“Okay, take five.” Izumi said. Ed collapsed onto the ground, panting like he’d run a ten-mile marathon. It had only been three weeks but already he was beginning to question his motives.

He really wanted to see Al, but Roy hadn’t sent any letter saying he was in danger, so Ed was trying to make the most of his training before the puppets decided to strike again.

The door out front rang, signaling a customer.

“Coming!” Izumi said, marching to the counter. “Welcome to Meat n’Greet! Our specials are –Oh! It’s you!”

Ed’s curiosity was peaked at the familiar tone that Izumi carried. He wondered briefly which regular it was that had stopped in.

“Ah, yes.” The voice made Ed’s hear stop. “I’ll be heading back to Central soon and I was wondering if I could buy some meats for the road.”

“Of course! We have-!”

Ed didn’t listen to the rest as he sprang to his feet and flew through the back door of the house and flew into the shop area. Throwing the dividing door open, he came face to face with a familiar pair of golden eyes he thought he’d never seen again.

“ _You_.” he hissed.

The man at the counter blinked at him, “Ah, Edward. I thought you were-?”

“You _bastard_!” Ed shouted as he attempted to launch himself over the counter.

“Edward!” Izumi exclaimed, grabbing the back of his shirt and hauling him off the counter. She planted her knuckles in his skull. “We do not talk to customers like that!”

“That _bastard_ is the reason those puppets want Al!” Edward cursed. “He’s the reason mom died and Al got sick! It’s all _his fault_!”

Izumi paused at that and looked over at the man. Now that she thought about it, the man and the teen at her side did have several similarities. “You’re his father?”

“Ah, yes.” The man gave a laid-back smile. “I was not aware that he was in Dublith. You two know each other?”

“I’m his mentor in the golem crafts.” Izumi answered, keeping a restraining hand on Ed’s shoulder.

“I had heard about him taking the Golem Lord Exam.” The man smiled indulgently. “Good for you, Ed. I heard you passed.”

An embarrassed red hue scrawled itself over Ed’s cheeks, but vehemently ignored the bubble of warmth that came with the praise. Instead, he fell back on his vicious rage, “If you had _been there,_ you would have _seen it_!”

“I’m sorry.” Ed’s father looked genuinely apologetic. “There were… some things that came up. I wish I could have told you and Alphonse, but…”

“Would it have anything to do with the people who are now after Al?” Edward growled.

“You said that before…” the man frowned, “Puppets?”

“This is a long story.” Izumi said, having heard it herself already. “Why don’t you come into the back and we’ll talk over some tea?”

Edward glared hard at the man before turning and disappearing through the door.

“He doesn’t like me.” The man said, sounding forlorn.

“Well, you _did_ leave him and his brother to deal with things alone.” Izumi said, crossing her arms. “Some people tend to hold a grudge.”

The man sighed, but made his way through the counter door and into the back of the shop where the house stood. Izumi flipped the ‘Open’ sign to ‘Closed’ and followed the father and son pair into the house.

*          *          *          *          *

“I see.” Hohenhiem said, the grip on his tea cup precarious. The trio were at the Curtis family table. Ed had chosen the seat farthest away he could get, but that meant he was across the table and had to stare at the bastard the whole time. He was starting to rethink his choices. “I… had not realized so many things had happened while I was gone.”

“Maybe you shouldn’t have _left in the first place_.” Ed hissed, ignoring his tea completely to pick at his cast. “Then you might have ‘realized’.”

Hohenhiem glanced sadly at his son before looking down into his drink. “This is all my fault.”

Edward rolled his eyes, “ _Yes._ If you had _been there_ when Mom-!”

“No, Edward, you don’t understand.” Hohenhiem shook his head. “Not just for not being there. The puppets searching for Al, the fact that Geppetto’s Book was lost in the fire… How do you think I came across a copy of Geppetto’s Book?”

Edward shifted uncomfortably. Honestly, it had never been a question he’d asked himself, but now… now he wondered. “I don’t know, you picked it up from a merchant caravan?”

“Really?” His father deadpanned, “The book nations _fought over_ would just be sitting on a carpet with cheap wares?”

“Then _tell me_.” Edward pressed. “If it’s so important?”

“It was given to me by Geppetto.” Hohenhiem said simply, with no finesse. It was like he was stating a fact. “When I left home-!”

“Hold on a second.” Edward raised his hands, ignoring the way his father looked at his cast. “Geppetto has been dead for _thousands_ of years.”

“Not only that,” Izumi added, “But many scholars doubt that he even existed. And you’re saying you _know_ him?”

“I didn’t merely _know_ Geppetto.” Hohenhiem said, staring down at his cup forlornly. “I was his son.”

Ed’s eyes widened in shock. “You mean-?”

“You were the first known golem.” Izumi said from gritted teeth.

“I was, and was not.” Hohenhiem stated. “I was both a golem and nothing like one. I was not made with clay or metal or something that had not yet lived. I was made of wood and the bones of Geppetto’s young boy.”

“Bones?!” Ed gasped, face looking green.

“Geppetto’s son was very young when he died.” Hohenhiem explained, swishing the contents of his tea cup around. “There was an accident at the town school. The boy climbed too high and when he fell… his death was instant. Geppetto became distraught. His son had been all he had left. He began to look for means, dark means, of bringing him back. After years of looking, he found a long lost art –necromancy.”

“That’s…That’s bringing the dead back to life, right?” Ed frowned, trying to remember what he knew of the ‘magics’ of old.

“It’s a _forbidden_ art.” Izumi tacked on with a disproving look, “If I remember right.”

“Yes, it was.” Hohenhiem nodded, “He found a scroll in some ancient safe that had been excavated for a housing project. It detailed ways of bringing back souls from the dead. It was the key to bringing back Geppetto’s son, but he was missing a primary component – a vessel.”

“Vessel?” Ed swallowed thickly.

“After so many years, a body would decay.” Izumi stated, a dark look on her face. “Flesh would rot, tendons would erode –nothing would be left but bones. For a human, that’s no way to live.”

“No, it’s not.” Hohenhiem agreed, “But Geppetto was desperate. If the body couldn’t be used the way it was, he would make it better.”

“So he crafted a body like Golem Lords craft golems.” Ed guessed on his own, eyes wide. “Like I did for Al.”

“Yes, in a way, it was what we now call the Sacrificial Right. The base, though, was not made of metal or clay, but of wood.”

Edward gasped. He knew the price of crafting with wood, had seen it in practice with the puppets he’d fought. Now his own father was saying he was a puppet as well?

“Geppetto took months to carve a base and filled the hollow slots with the bones of his son. He performed the ritual of necromancy that he had unearthed and, as the story goes, his boy was returned to him. That boy as me, but… something went wrong.” Hohenhiem’s shoulder sagged, as if a great weight was on them. “I don’t age, don’t injure, don’t sleep. I have the capacity for it. The wood remembers growing, remembers long winters, but its ability cannot be unlocked. Not without…”

“Suffering.” Ed gritted his teeth. “It always comes back to suffering!”

“Something your mother knew and accepted.” Hohenhiem noted with a small smile. “She loved me even though she knew I was a monster. I taught her the language of Geppetto’s Book and she managed a small rite of our own. She could only perform it twice, but that was enough for me.”

“Twice?” Edward wrinkled his nose.

“You and Alphonse.” Hohenhiem smiled brightly at his son, even at the teen’s face screwed up in disgust at the thought of the ‘rite’.

“So puppets are able to…?” Izumi trailed off, knowing her question was heard.

Hohenhiem shook his head. “I am different from the other puppets that Edward spoke of. Like I said, I had the bones of Geppetto’s son. They… do not. They were prototypes, never meant to see the light of day.”

“What happened?” Izumi asked.

“When you put that much work into something, no matter how small…” Hohenhiem shrugged, “It’s bound to get ideas of its own.”

*          *          *          *          *

_The (real) story of the puppet-maker:_

_Before the time of golems and guilds, there lived a man and his son in a small house on a small plot of land in a small town in the country. The man was a woodcarver, a maker of furniture, tools, and, most especially, toys for his son. His son loved to play with the wondrous things his father made and the children of the town were jealous of him._

_One day, the son was challenged to go to the highest branch of a tree. The children wanted to steal his toys while he was distracted, but the son did not want to go._

_“My father says that dangerous.” The son protested._

_“Then you must be chicken.” The children taunted._

_Like all boys, the son did not like being insulted and made fun of, so he climbed to the highest branch of the tree to prove himself. Once he reached the top, the thin branches could not hold his weight and they snapped. He fell to his death. Scared, the children fled, not wanting to be accused of the act._

_When he heard of the accident, the old woodcarver was beside himself with grief. The boy’s mother had passed in childbirth and now his own son had left him too. It was more grief than the man could bear._

_So he left in search of a way to bring his son back. He carried with him the bones of his beloved son so that he would never forget what he was searching for. After years of searching, he finally found an answer in the form of necromancy._

_And so the man toiled and slaved over hard wood as he carved puppet after puppet until finally, he crafted the perfect son. Puppet after puppet was set aside, deemed unworthy for the bones of his son until the final project, puppet number 23._

_“With this,” the man said, “I will bring back my son.”_

_And so it was. With the bones of the man’s child and the secrets from his travels, the man brought back his son and the two lived for many years, the other puppets forgotten. Soon, the man realized his mistake. As he grew older, his son did not. He looked for some way to fix his error, but nothing in his travels could help him._

_Seeing his father’s anguish, something in the boy changed, feeding off of the sorrow and despair that his father felt. He began to grow._

_When the father saw this, he was glad. Then the boy stopped growing. Soon it became apparent to the woodcarver that the only way his child would grow was through his own sorrow and he cursed what became of his child because of it._

_The other puppets felt his despair and they, too, fed from his agony. If his pride and joy could not make him happy, surely they could?_

_Years passed and the boy grew older and his father frailer. When it came time for the boy to leave, his father could do nothing but apologize and give him the secrets of his travels, neatly wrapped up in a single book._

_That night, the man died, alone in a house filled with nothing but puppets._

“Hmm… tell me, kid, have you ever heard the story of Geppetto?” the head grinned at him with a sharp-toothed smile.


	20. Twentieth Stop: Back to Warehouse 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I don't own Fullmetal Alchemist or its characters.
> 
> The world, however, is mine and currently under development. If it inspires you, feel free to write more in the world. I always like reading new stories, so make sure to tag my story as inspiration so I can find your story that much faster.
> 
> PS- The contest I started is still ongoing for two more weeks. Remember, winner gets a gift fic of their choice.

The Guild extension in Central was peaceful at this time of day. The sun had barely passed noon and Alphonse watched the people scurry about the streets as he sighed for the umpteenth time since his brother left.

“Alphonse, he will come back.” Roy stated from his desk, pouring over notes. “Be patient.”

“It’s been a month.” Alphonse said matter-of-factly. “What if…?”

“Alphonse if that sentences is followed by ‘he left’, ‘he forgot’, or anything of that sort, I will personally hang you off the edge of the roof for the rest of the day.” Roy deadpanned, signing another claim.

“...” Alphonse shifted, “He didn’t come back for Maes’ funeral.”

Roy’s grip tightened on his pen, but he forced himself to take a breath. “I didn’t send him a notice. He probably didn’t realize it had passed.”

“Don’t you think Brother would have wanted to say goodbye?” Alphonse glared at the guild master.

“He told me to only send a notice if you were in trouble.” Roy answered peacefully. “I didn’t want to send him a false alarm.”

“He still should have been there.” Alphonse wrapped his arms around his knees. Ever since his brother had left, he had taken to sitting in the corners of whatever room his guard was in, making little to no conversation and generally acting like a golem without a master would. It was… strange to see such golem like actions when Alphonse so readily took the form of a young boy.

“If he had known, he would have.” Roy sighed, placing an order over to the side to review later. “As it is-!”

A knock on the door broke up their conversation.

“Sir?” Hawkeye asked, opening the door. “We have a customer that insisted that they meet you in person.”

Behind her stood an old lady, skin wrinkled with age. She wore a ragged shawl that covered her head down to her ankles. Whatever she was wearing underneath couldn’t be seen.

“Ah yes, come in.” Roy said, standing in respect, “Please, have a –Alphonse?”

“ _You_!” Alphonse hissed, jumping to his feet and changing to his golem a flash of blinding light.

“Ah, guess the cat’s out of the bag!” the old lady laughed, sounding nothing like her age. Hawkeye jumped again, gun raised. Roy’s hand snuck into his pocket, gripping a fistful of coal ores just in case.

Before their eyes, the old hag changed into another figure –male or female, they didn’t know –with piercing violet eyes and a smug grin. “You humans are so easy! A little sob story and you invite me right in!”

“Alphonse?” Roy asked.

“Envy.” The golem replied. “The other puppet that Brother and I saw.”

“Other puppet?” Envy echoed. “So you still have Gluttony, I’m guessing. I was wondering where that lug had gone! I’ll just grab him on the way out.”

“You’re so sure that you’ll be leaving here alive!” Roy growled.

“Like you humans could stop me.” The puppet laughed, hands on its hips.

“If they can’t, I will!” Alphonse shouted, falling into a fighting stance.

“Careful what you say, mud-walker.” Envy pointed a finger in his direction. “Your brother is on his way home as we speak. I’ve got two others watching that train of his. If you don’t play nice, you know what’s going to happen?”

The guild master heard a whistle of air that sounded like a gasp from the golem.

“That’s right. That train might run into a little accident of… _lethal_ proportions.” The puppet snickered. “And if that doesn’t kill your brother, well, humans are really fragile, aren’t they? Nothing a little punch to the gut won’t fix.”

_Wait…_ Roy thought, _that sounds like…_

“You _monster_!” Al shouted, his limbs trembling as he tried to keep himself in check.

“Ah, ah, ah!” Envy shook a finger at the golem. “Careful what you say, mud-walker. Remember what I said?”

“You-!” Alphonse cut off another explicative, worry for his brother and master overwhelming him. If his memories didn’t hold him back, then his programming as a golem would. No golem could commit an action if it ran the risk of hurting their master.

“That’s much better.” The puppet said, leaning back. “Now come on. We have to get Gluttony before we leave.”

“Who gave you permission to-?!” Roy abruptly found himself against the wall, a hand gripping his throat tight. Hawkeye got two shots off before the puppet had her wrist in hand and cracking under its force.

“I _said_ you humans were fragile.” The puppet sneered. “Here I was trying to be nice and leave you in one piece. Some people just aren’t appreciative.”

“Let them go!” Alphonse ordered. “They aren’t the ones you want!”

“Hmm…” While Envy thought about it, Roy felt his lung clawing for air. “That’s true. I ain’t got time to waste on you small fry. I’ll come back afterwards for a little fun, when I can take my time and draw it out.”

The grip around Roy’s throat vanished and the guild master fell to the ground, coughing.  Hawkeye cradled her wrist to her chest, checking for damages.

Envy turned to leave and Alphonse followed him.

“A-Al…” Mustang rasped.

Alphonse paused. “I’m sorry, Guild Master. Tell my brother for me?”

And with that, the two slipped out the door.

*          *          *          *          *

Edward landed on his back with a choked moan.

“Not bad.” Izumi commented. “Your stance is much stronger than when you got here, but your reaction time is what’s slowing you down.”

_That’s because you have the reaction time of light_. Ed wanted to say, but wisely chose to stay silent.

“I’d say if you keep this up, you’ll be ready for those puppets in, oh… a year or so?” Izumi added helpfully. Edward groaned from his place on the ground. “Get up, you lazy ass and get back to work!”

“Edward!” Hohenhiem called from the back door of the shop.

_Great_. Ed thought, _Him again._

“A communication golem arrived for you.” the older man said, crouching over Ed with the small golem in hand. “It looks urgent.”

The golem was jumping up and down quickly, as if to grab his attention. Ed felt his stomach drop to his feet. Gathering the golem into his hands, he ordered, “ _Transmit message_.”

“Message transmitting.” The voice of Fuery came out, making Ed curse. “Edward! Al has been taken by the puppets! One had disguised itself and snuck into our Guild and broke the other out of its holding cell! It threatened Al into going with them! We need you back right away!”

“Shit!” Edward hissed under his breath. Shoving the golem into his father’s hands, he raced into the house and up the stairs to grab his things. They were still packed from where he’d left them when he first got there. Yanking open a drawer, he snatched two orbs, one dark black and the other perfectly clear, and shoved them into his pocket before grabbing his bag and thundering down the stairs.

“Thank you for your help, Teach, but I have to-!” Ed paused when he saw her and her husband at the door as well as her father. “What’s going on?”

“You really think you can defeat those things by yourself?” Izumi scoffed. “Hardly.”

“I know a thing or two about fighting.” Hohenhiem stated. “And I’m more durable than humans.

Sig just stared at Edward, nodding his head once in affirmation.

Edward blinked, then grinned. “Let’s go kick some puppet ass!”

His father coughed, something sounding like ‘language’, but Ed promptly ignored him as he led the race to the station.

*          *          *          *          *

“Sir, you are in no condition to fight.” Hawkeye stated as Falman checked Mustang over.

“I’ll be fine.” The Flame Lord rasped. “I was surprised last time. Next time, I’ll be more cautious. You’re the one that needs to stay out of the fight. You won’t be able to shoot.”

“I’m ambidextrous.” Hawkeye deadpanned, holding the pistol with her left hand to show off.

“If it didn’t hurt to laugh, I would be doing so.” Roy grinned.

“Another reason that you should be staying here.” Hawkeye narrowed her eyes.

“But you aren’t going to stop me.” Roy raised an eyebrow. When his second-in-command shook her head, he knew they were in this together. “Has Fuery sent out the message?”

“Yes.” Hawkeye nodded. “It might be awhile. I’m not sure where Ed’s Teacher is. If he gets here and Al’s already…”

“We’ll just have to make sure that isn’t the case.” Roy said, standing with Falman’s permission and donning his black battle cloak. “Let’s get this show on the road.”

Hawkeye nodded and the two filed out, the rest of the team falling into line behind them.

“Fuery.” Roy ordered.

“Batai and Eeba have been tracking Al’s progress. They’re back at the place where we found Al and Ed before.” Fuery reported.

“It would make sense.” Armstrong noted, “If that is where the collection ritual took place.”

Roy nodded, wincing at the literal pain in his neck before turning to his team. “Fuery, send the Metal Lord another message with our location. Does everyone know the objective?”

“Get in, get Al, and get out.” Havoc stubbed out his cigarette.

“And get rid of the puppets.” Roy added. “We want to discourage them from ever coming back for Al again. Got it?”

“Sir!” they chorused in unison.

“Good. Let’s head out!”

*          *          *          *          *

“What’s the point of this?” Alphonse demanded, obediently staying where the puppets put him. Envy had demanded, on threat of his brother’s life, that he change back to his human form and he felt oddly exposed as he never had before.

“Of what?” Envy asked, “You being naked? I like the view. Plus, it’s fun to mess with you mud-walkers.”

Alphonse didn’t even deign to acknowledge that. “What’s the point of reconstructing Geppetto’s Book? Why not just break into the S-ranked library? I’m sure they’ve got everything you need in there.”

“You mean that _fake_ copy in there?” Envy sneered, resting his head back in the cradle of his hands. “Yeah, been there, done that. That thing is missing the last chapter.”

“It… what?” Alphonse frowned.

“The last chapter.” Envy spoke as if he was speaking to a four-year-old. “The one that tells how Geppetto turned his son human again? It’s missing from the book, has been for decades. Something tells me that _bastard_ didn’t bother to copy it down before giving Amestria the damn thing.”

“So, even if Brother got in there, he’d…” Alphonse frowned, “He’d never be able to turn me back?”

“Nope.” Envy said with a pop on the ‘p’. “The only thing that could do that is hiding in that body of yours.”

“But if he takes me apart, I won’t be me anymore.” Alphonse gripped at his chest. Phantom pains echoed from his memories of where a heart would have been.

“Exactly.” Envy shrugged. “It’s a lose-lose situation for you, kid. Sorry, not sorry.”

So their journey from the beginning… was hopeless.

“You know, we might not have even found where this copy had been if it hadn’t been for your brother taking the Golem Lord Exam.” Envy grinned, his smile shark-like. “We’ll be sure to thank him once we get perfect bodies like that _bastard_ has. Won’t that just make his day?”

“Perfect bodies?” Alphonse parroted.

“Oh my gosh, can’t you stop talking?” Envy groaned.

“Aren’t you bored though?” Alphonse pointed out. “Tucker is still arguing with the lady down there.”

The two had been at it for a while now and it seemed that the argument itself had been going on long before Al got there. Maybe that’s why it took the puppets to act so long?

Envy looked down at the two as well before shrugging, “Eh, point.”

“So?” Alphonse motioned for him to continue.

“Look, kid, when we were made, we were prototypes for something else.” Envy dropped his hands to his hips, hunching over to look at his toe nails. “Father, that’s Geppetto to you, was trying to bring his son back to life. Gluttony, Lust, and I? We were all prototypes, stepping stones to a perfect body for his kid. When he was finished with us, we were thrown away.”

Envy sneered at the ground, “All we ever wanted was to be good enough for him, but we never were. Then that _bastard_ was created and we were shoved in boxes and put away in the attic for years to come. I’ve spent enough time waiting to be good enough. That’s why we need that last chapter, in order to complete ourselves and give ourselves perfect bodies.”

Alphonse was quiet for a long time. “That’s not the story of Geppetto I’ve heard.”

“What can I say, kid?” Envy shot him a weary grin, “Fairy tales are always much darker than they appear.”

*          *          *          *          *

_The (real) story of the woodcarver (continued):_

_Years passed after the woodcarver died and his son continued to roam the lands. He kept his father’s book on him, a precious treasure of his previous life. To a precious few, he would give a copy, carefully keeping the last chapter secret._

_He never wanted another pitiful being like himself to be made._

_As he wandered, the puppets back home began function on their own. Stored with the necromancy supplies in the attic, the puppets grew minds over the years they were stored, thoughtful minds with desires of their own reflective of their creator. When they finally grew enough to emerge, it was to a corpse of a ‘father’ that they were desperate to please._

_Agonized by a desire that would never be fulfilled, the puppets went out into the world, searching for the woodcarver’s ‘perfect’ son for the answers they needed to live._


	21. Twenty-first Stop: Back to Warehouse 5 part 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I don't own Fullmetal Alchemist or its characters.
> 
> The world, however, is mine and currently under development. If it inspires you, feel free to write more in the world. I always like reading new stories, so make sure to tag my story as inspiration so I can find your story that much faster.
> 
>  
> 
> PS -All of you are going to hate me. :)

“This was a bad idea!” Ed muttered to himself, biting at his nails. His cast had only been removed the day before and he was already going into battle. He was sure to break it again, but he didn’t care. “I shouldn’t have gone so far away from Al! What was I thinking?!”

“That I wouldn’t willingly just up and leave my home and livelihood?” Izumi asked with a raised eyebrow.

“Well, yeah, _that_ , but I’m sure I could have found someone in Central to-!”

“So I’m replaceable now. Good to know.” Izumi said, crossing her arms.

“You _know_ that’s not what -!”

“Edward.” Hohenhiem called. “Calm down. Panicking won’t help Alphonse. You need to keep your head for what we’re going into. Thinking of the worst case scenario won’t help.”

“But…” Edward bit his lip against arguing. He really shouldn’t have left Al with his Guild. He should have stuck it out with his brother.

“No buts.” Izumi ordered. “The train arrives in ten minutes. We’ll need to know where to head so your Guild better have sent another communication golem.”

The blonde nodded, going back to staring out the window, wishing the train would go just a little faster.

*          *          *          *          *

“They _destroyed_ her!” Tucker shouted. Lust took a deep fortifying breath before exhaling just as slowly.

“Tucker, we heard you the first twenty times.” She said, her voice tinged with annoyance. “I’m sorry about Nina, but you have no other ashes.”

“I _need_ her!” Tucker stomped his foot like a child. “You don’t get it! You’re all puppets! Unfeeling _monsters_! I need Nina more than anything! You can’t understand how I feel!”

“Tucker, I assure you that we will do everything in our power to bring her back.” Lust put a hand on her hip, “But first you need to do this for us. We need that book.”

“That _book_.” Tucker spat. “That’s all you guys ever talk about! That damned book! There’s a copy in the S-ranked library! I know you guys can get in there! Go get that one!”

“You know as well as I do that book is incomplete.” Lust said, the words forming tightly in her anger. “We need _this_ one to become perfect beings.”

“ _Perfect beings_ ,” Tucker scoffed, “What does that even _mean_?!”

“It means…” Lust inhaled again, pressing her free hand to her temple. Suddenly, an idea came to her. Pushing her hair back behind her ear, she looked up from under her lashes. “A perfect being can be many things. It could be the perfect body, turning a golem human or… bringing a dead golem back to life.”

“Back to life?” Tucker paused in his mockery.

“Yes, those golems from the Sacrificial Rite that can only be made once?” Lust tilted her head, as if thinking it over. “I’m sure there was something in there about bringing them back.”

“Like Nina?” Tucker grabbed Lust’s shoulders. “I could bring Nina back?!”

Lust brushed off his hands like they were smudges of dirt. “I suppose? I couldn’t be sure… unless we got that book.”

“I’ll do it!” Tucker offered. “Right now! I’ll do it! And then we’ll save Nina!”

“Of course.” Lust lied, “And then, we’ll save Nina.”

As the man ran off to grab his supplies, Lust smiled to herself.

Just then, the doors slammed open with a _bang_ and smoke poured in. Lust and Envy immediately looked to the entrance, covering their noses at the putrid smell.

“Knock knock.” Mustang called, coal ores positioned evenly between his fingers. “I believe you have something of ours.”

*          *          *          *          *

“Hey, kid, you done yet?” Greed prodded.

“Almost. Just need to make a mouth.” Ling said, dragging his knife across the face. “It won’t be perfect-!”

“It’ll be good enough.” Greed shot back, now from the little puppet in his hand. The small body wiggled around until it was standing in his palm. “Something’s going down. If you want to see the action, I suggest we start moving.”

“How do you know?”

“We puppets have a connection.” Greed tried to explain. “I always know when those guys are up to something. And this time, it’s something bad.”

“Okay then.” Ling said, putting the little puppet onto his shoulder. “Hang on, Greed, it’s gonna be a bumpy ride.”

Pushing the window to his right open, Ling leapt from the room to the nearest roof. As soon as he left the building, Lan Fan and Fu felt in to either side.

“Young Master,” Fu called, “Where are you going?”

“A little birdy told me something interesting was happening!” Ling shouted. “I’m gonna find out what!”

*          *          *          *          *

“It’s the old warehouse from before.” Ed told the rest of his entourage. “Follow me!”

“Right.” Hohenhiem agreed as the team took off into the town. Overhead, someone called down to them before Ling landed beside Edward.

“Fancy meeting you here!” Ling smiled as two shadows fell behind him. “So, where are we heading?”

“You are going back to wherever you came from.” Ed shouted. “ _We_ are finding my brother.”

“You lose him or something?”

“Puppets took him and are planning on destroying him in order to reconstruct Geppetto’s Book, the _real_ version.” Ed explained. “And I plan to stop them before they get the chance.”

“Great!” Ling chirped, “I’m in.”

“This isn’t your fight!” Ed argued as he turned a sharp corner and nearly left his team behind.

“It doesn’t have to be.” Ling said, keeping pace. “It just has to be yours, O Golden One.”

Edward gave him a glare, but didn’t say another word as the team tore through the city.

*          *          *          *          *

“You!” Envy hissed. “How did you find us?!”

“We had some help.” Roy nodded to a corner where two golems were hovering near a window.

“You rotten little-!” Envy cursed, leaping up to grab one of the two and throwing it to the ground, _hard_. It shattered instantly, not having been made for fighting. Its friend fell to the ground, waddling along until it found its partner, tail reaching for it blindly. “Pathetic mud-walkers! The one who crafted you should be burned at the stake!”

“Don’t talk about my brother like that!” Alphonse shouted, leaping at Envy.

“Tucker!” Envy ordered, “Biding circle!”

The Golem Lord acted quickly, drawing a circle in the center of the room and etching a few quick marks. With a shove, Al found himself within the circle right as the light came up around it. With the light, he was locked inside.

“Alphonse!” Mustang rasped, feeling anger for his young charge.

“Stop them, Mustang!” Al shouted.

“Would you _shut up!?_ ” Envy demanded, leaping to the forefront. “Tucker, get to work. Gluttony, Lust, it’s time for a little _fun_.”

A sharp shot rang out from the eaves as Hawkeye attacked from overhead.

“You little _rat_ -!” Envy let out a shriek as coal exploded in its face.

“Eyes over here, Pinocchio!” Roy ordered.

“That’s _Envy_!”

“Oh sorry, would you prefer ‘doll’ instead?” Roy taunted. Envy let out an enraged snarl as it charged the man.

“Envy, keep your head!” Lust ordered, looking for their little rat. “Gluttony, smell out that human.”

Gluttony’s nose twitched and confusion stole over his features. “Which one?”

“The one that’s hiding.” Lust held back a sigh at the need to explain.

“Yeah.” Gluttony looked back at her. “Which _one_?”

“If you get a clear shot of Tucker,” Roy shouted, “ _Take it_!”

Lust clucked her tongue in frustration before darting over to the Golem Lord, fingers lengthening into claws as she slashed a bullet clean out of the air.

“Gluttony, you’re on Cat duty!” She ordered.

“On it, Lust!” Gluttony sang as he launched into the air and slammed into the wall.

*          *          *          *          *

“I see it!” Edward shouted over his shoulder, the warehouse now in sight. He could hear gunfire and explosions from where he was. He’d made it in time!

“Lead the way, Golden One!” Ling shouted with glee.

“Golden One?” Hohenhiem questioned.

“Don’t ask.” Edward grunted, pushing through the open doors and the smoke that took up the entrance way. “Alphonse!”

“Brother!” an answering call came from across the room. The scene was uncannily like the first time the brothers had been in the warehouse. Edward was determined to make this time end better.

“I’m coming, Alphonse!” Edward shouted, only to be thrown back by a solid blow to the stomach. His newly healed ribs protested violently. “Gack!”

“Hello again, little Golem Lord!” Envy called as it dodged a blow from Roy, then batted back some coal ores the Flame Lord had thrown out. “I hope you haven’t forgotten our _last_ meeting.”

Edward felt a chill of fear run up his spine, but pushed himself to his feet. Roy felled back to Ed’s side, eyes tracking Envy. “Metal, Tucker is trying to finish the reconstruction ritual. You need to get Alphonse out of here. I’ll hold off Envy, you focus on your brother.”

“Hey!” Izumi called, falling in on Ed’s other side. “You aren’t the only one who’s got a bone to pick with this guy.”

“And you are?” Roy spared a glance at the woman.

“I’m just a housewife.” The woman’s grin was feral, “Also, the only person allowed to beat Ed within an inch of his life.”

“Is that so?” Roy grinned back, “Then why don’t we make sure this puppet gets the memo?”

“With _pleasure_.” Teacher cracked her knuckles.

“Uh…” Envy backed up a step or two. “Lust!”

Lust sighed, stepping away from Tucker, only to feel a shiver run up her spine. She whirled quickly, claws coming up like an iron fence to parry a curved sword.

“Nuh-uh!” Ling clicked his tongue. “Your fight is with me!”

“Savage _beast_.” She hissed, twisting her fingers to catch his blade between her claws. A flick of her wrist should have sent the sword flying, but the man went with it, somersaulting through the air to land a few feet away. He grinned at her, as if this entire thing was a fun game.

She felt her anger swell.

“Almost done.” Tucker murmured to no one. Lust made herself calm down. All she had to do was keep Tucker safe until the ritual was finished, then their desires would be fulfilled. Humans were so easy to defeat once their goals became unattainable.

A sharp whistle pierced the air and she twirled to knock a throwing star off mark.

“Young Master, I should ask you to sit this one out.” Fu said, landing beside his daughter who was throwing wave after way of stars.

“You should,” Ling shrugged, “But you won’t.”

“This is a fight you got yourself into.” Fu nodded, “I expect you to get yourself out.”

“You are one crazy king.” The puppet in Ling’s collar muttered.

“What king wouldn’t put himself in the line of fire for his people?” Ling asked, falling into the sword-fighting stance he’d been taught since birth.

“Not one worth following.” Greed agreed, hanging on tight as the teen flew into action.

“Lust!” Envy shouted, finding itself hemmed in by fire and explosions on one side and pummeling fists and righteous fury on the other.

“Gluttony!” Lust called, trying to keep track of three faster than normal humans, each targeting the pathetic creature she unfortunately had to protect.

“Hmm…?” the big puppet looked down from the ceiling where he hung like a monkey from a support beam. He had been searching for the rats, but they were scurrying away and hiding before he could sniff them out. It was fun at first, but now his stomach was growling. Down below, he saw the small human from before that Envy said he could eat.

His face split in a bright grin.

Throwing himself from the beam, he landed before the small human, slamming down hard enough to make the ground shake.

“Careful!” Tucker shouted. “Don’t mess up my work!”

“Gluttony is hungry.” Gluttony said, “Envy said I could eat you, yes he did!”

Ed’s eyes widened as he found himself pressed against a rock and a hard place. No doubt the puppet would actually eat him, nothing the puppets had done so far had said otherwise. The puppet opened its maw wide.

“I can’t allow that!” Two hands shoved forward, forcing Gluttony’s mouth from shutting. Edward was shocked to find that they belonged to his father, the man he had spent the past _week_ ridiculing. “A father would never allow a monster to eat his son!”

“D-Dad?” The word was a surprise as much to Ed as it was Hohenhiem. The man looked back with a sad smile.

“Get Alphonse, Edward.” Hohenhiem ordered, “We can only hold them off for so long. This is your chance!”

Edward hesitated, watching his father struggle with the ravenous puppet.

“Go!” Hohenhiem shouted. The order knocked the blonde out of his trance and he went.

Racing forward, he dodged the blows of Envy’s battle and gave a wide berth around Lust and Ling’s fight. Everyone was calling out encouragement as they saw him streak across the room.

“Go, Edward!” Roy called.

“Golden One for the win!” Ling exclaimed.

“Brother!” Alphonse cried, hands pressed against the barrier as if he could physically push it down.

“Alphonse!” Ed called back, hand reaching forward. He was only a few steps away. If he crossed the boundary, he could pull Al through. All it needed to break was the touch of a human. “Alphonse!”

“Brother!”

Time seemed to slow down as a dust storm kicked up. Edward felt his stomach drop, even as he reached forward, fingers inches from the barrier. He was a single step away, Al reaching for him from the other side of the barrier, eyes wide and pleading.

_Just a little more!_ Ed told himself. _Just a little **more**!_

The dust struck his eyes, digging into the fragile membrane and making them burn as if on _fire_. Ed cursed, his other hand coming up to protect his eyes and he took a half-step back unconsciously.

A flash of light and one snap, then it was over.

Ed blinked his eyes, the dust suddenly gone. “Al?”

A deafening silence met him.

*          *          *          *          *

_The (real) story of the woodcarver:_

_As the woodcarver’s son continued on his journey, he met a beautiful woman. She was kind and gentle and everything his life had been missing. He grew infatuated with her and she with him, but he knew that their love could never be. He was a monster that fed on the sorrows of those around him. He could never been the man she needed._

_The woman thought otherwise._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yay! School is almost done for me and so is this story!
> 
> The contest I started is going to close next Friday and winners will be announced the Friday after. Remember, winner gets a gift fic of their choice -fandom, pairing, juicy details, etc. Who will be the lucky winner?
> 
> More information on my profile page if you want that gift fic.


	22. Twenty-Second Stop: Back to Warehouse 5 part 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I don't own Fullmetal Alchemist or its characters.
> 
> The world, however, is mine and currently under development. If it inspires you, feel free to write more in the world. I always like reading new stories, so make sure to tag my story as inspiration so I can find your story that much faster.
> 
>  
> 
> PS -The contest is now closed. No one entered, so I guess no one wanted me to write them a fic. :/ oh well. Next week will be the last chapter for this fic. I have something started for the next one in this 'universe' I've made, but I plan on taking a break and focusing on Feral first. I want to get that story finished and possibly make a oneshot before I go into this next arc. See you all next week!

Wide, slate-colored eyes stared at him, frozen in concern and something akin to pain. Soft skin was rough as baked clay and wheat-gold hair was as dead as grey concrete. Al’s entire form looked like it was frozen in time.

“A-Al?” Ed tried again, taking a step forward, afraid to touch his brother, should he crumble and break. A low buzzing filled his ears, pressing on his mind. “Alphonse?”

The fighting behind him stopped after the flash and now everyone was watching.

“Alphonse?” Roy rasped, his throat throbbing with pain.

“Alphonse, no.” Hohenhiem’s voice cracked like it hadn’t in hundreds of years. His grip on Gluttony slipped and the puppet pulled himself back, shaking like a dog and looking around for Edward.

“C-come on, Al!” Ed demanded, the buzzing growing in his ears, “This isn’t funny!

Up in the eaves, Hawkeye looked on in despair. “Edward…”

“Ed…” Izumi’s call choked off as she turned into her husband’s embrace to hide her tears.

“No!” Ling shouted, throwing his sword to the ground in a fit of rage. He swiftly followed, fists punching the ground uselessly as his subordinates looked on. “No! No, _dammit_ , _no!_ ”

The barrier around Al gave out, no longer sensing a golem within it. Without its support, the statue began a slow descent, accelerating as gravity took hold. Reacting on instinct, Ed reached out, grabbing the shoulders, only for them to crumble to dust under his hands. The feet and ankles buckled and the torso snapped in two.

Only the head made it safely to the blonde’s hands, its blank stare looking into golden orbs.

“A-Al?” Ed’s voice was a mere whisper as he fell to his knees. The buzzing grew until it drowned everything else out. It grew louder and louder and _louder_ until finally, something in him _snapped._

**_Grief flooded into him, pressing into him on all sides. His brain ached with it and his entire body trembled under its weight. His fingers pressed into the fragile face of his brother, cracks forming where he held too tight._ **

“Finally!” somewhere behind him, Envy shouted with glee, snatching a book out of Tucker’s hands. No one had seen it formed, but every single one of them recognized it. “That was taking _forever_!”

**_Anger, hatred, agonizing despair. They battered him from every angle, clawing into him as if to crawl inside of him and hide from the world. They needed to be felt, heard, every desperate cry of pain and sadness needed to be answered._ **

“N-Now we can fix Nina.” Tucker panted, the reconstruction ritual having taken all the power he had in him. He watched as Envy handed the book off to Lust. “R-Right?”

“Mm…” Envy paused, putting on a ‘thinking’ face, “Well, there was this _one_ little thing we forgot to tell you.”

**_Al couldn’t be gone, not after all their hard work! He was Ed’s brother, his only family left besides that bastard father. He was a sweet kid –always helping Ms. Kannon, the nice old lady down the lane. He was the one to wake Ed up for school and the one he came home to after work. He was the one that smiled like Ed hung the moon in the sky._ **

“You see, using a reconstruction ritual on something with as much knowledge and power as the Geppetto’s Book, requires a lot of your ‘artisan suffering’.” Envy waved his hand flippantly. “As in _all of it_. So even if the book held the secret to bringing your precious Nina back, there would be no one willing to do it for you.”

**_Al shouldn’t be gone. It should have been Ed. It should have been anyone but Al!_ **

“Y-you’re lying!” Tucker muttered, volume quickly growing. “You’re lying! You’re ly-!”

A talon through the head was enough to silence him immediately.

**_“He doesn’t have to be gone…” a voice whispered._ **

“You don’t know how long I’ve been waiting to do that.” Lust remarked as she flipped through the book. Gluttony wandered past, waddling over towards where the small human was hunched over a pile of broken clay parts. “Honestly, that man was nothing but a pathetic leech.”

“You said it.” Envy snorted. “So, what’s the book say?”

**_“You’ve saved him once before.” The voice continued. “You didn’t even know what you were doing, and you saved him. You could do it again. It might take a little more, but you could do it. You could fix him. There’s still time.”_ **

“Envy,” Lust sighed, closing the book, “It’s not here.”

“What?!” Envy squawked, “What do you _mean_ it’s _not here_?!”

Gluttony landed behind the blonde with a light _thump_ , grin stretched wide over his face. Finally, the growl in his tummy might settle down. He opened his jaw wide –wide enough to swallow a human whole.

**_–hunger, ravenous hunger –reaching for everything to sate the monster within –eggs –meat –fruits –plates –wood –brick – human flesh –nothing! The monster is never sated –why can I never be full?! –_ **

“I mean it’s not here.” Lust answered, gesturing to the book.

“It has to be!” Envy insisted, “That’s the original copy! It _has_ to be there!”

“Look for yourself.” Lust tossed the book towards the other puppet.

Gluttony’s foul breath was hot on Ed’s neck.

**_It will take a little more. Just a little more suffering…_ **

**_I can get more._ **

A hand planted itself between Gluttony’s eyes. The puppet paused, confused. Golden eyes stared dully up at him, unseeing and lifeless. They had only one thing in mind – _take_.

“Fuck this!” Envy shouted, throwing the book to the ground. The puppet turned to point an accusing finger at Hohenhiem. “You! You will tell us! How did you do it!?”

Hohenhiem stared, speechless.

Envy growled and dashed across the room, heedless when no one tried to stop him. A fist found itself in the blonde bastard’s collar and wrenched him up against the wall. Violet eyes glared poisonously at the man. “ _Tell me_! _What is the secret to perfection?!_ ”

Gluttony let out a whimper as he felt the suffering and sorrow that had followed him since he first began start to fade. It coiled reflexively around him, but the hand on his was taking it, draining it from his body. His mass started to dwindle and he shrank and shrank, until only a wooden puppet was left behind –a puppet split down the middle, tummy held together by seven staples that looked like teeth.

The hand holding onto the puppet dropped it, the empty vessel now useless to the teen.

“G-Gluttony!” Lust called in disbelief.

Envy looked away from the blonde bastard, eyebrows furrowed in confusion, unable to decipher what it was seeing. “Glu…tto…ny?”

**_It will take a little more._ **

**_I can get more._ **

Edward staggered to his feet. The crowd held their breath, unsure of what they had just witnessed. No one had ever _reclaimed_ suffering from a creation. It was unheard off.

It was impossible.

Edward turned away from his brother, the head gently resting on the ground so as not to break it further. When he looked up, his eyes were glowing, but vacant, as if something else was in control of his body.

It was unnerving.        

Blood dripped from his nose, the pressure bearing down on him too much.

“Edward?” Izumi – ** _miscarriage –shame –can never carry again –never good enough for him –_** called, pressing closer into the arms of her husband – ** _miscarriage –shame –I did this to her –never again –never hurt her again_**.

**_Not enough._ **

**_I’ll get enough._ **

The blonde turned to the nearest puppet, Lust. Violet eyes widened in fear. “S-Stay back! Stay away from me!”

Her claws came up defensively, lengthening to keep him as far away as possible. Edward stared, unseeing of the claws, only of the puppet.

**_–long hair –thick lips –beautiful –not enough –everyone loves me –not enough –man –woman –child –pet –nothing, nothing, nothing! Nothing can ever fill the void!_ **

**_Need it._ **

**_I’ll get it._ **

From his pocket, the blonde withdrew two spheres, one pitch black, the other as clear as diamond. Blood dripped down his lip and his chin, falling sluggishly onto the two spheres. A flash of light and they were two knives, short, close-range, but so very powerful. Izumi recognized the design he’d been working on since the start of his re-training.

She’d had no idea that he’d use it for this.

The blonde moved fast, faster than he ever had before. Lust let out a shriek and swiped her talons forward, desperate to keep the human at bay. The boy barely dodged in-between her fingers, nicks and scratches catching his arms and legs, but he kept coming as if he didn’t feel a thing.

The crowd watched, entranced by the battle and the morbid _thing_ their friend had become. They knew they should step in, but… something kept them rooted to the spot –a dark something that sent shivers up their spines.

The battle was becoming closer and closer, the boy becoming harder and harder to evade. Lust needed help, she knew it. Looking for Envy, she called out, “Envy!”

Startled, the puppet dropped Hohenhiem from where it’d held him captive, but it was already too late.

That one moment of inattention cost Lust her life.

Ducking under her defenses, the blonde dropped the knife in his right hand and planted the appendage firmly into her stomach. Her mouth opened, as if to scream, but froze as the turmoil and loneliness that swirled inside of her emptied, stolen from her by a greedy hand. She too, shrank until she was nothing but a wooden puppet –with shoulders and breasts that didn’t fit right and created a gap right where the heart should be.

She fell to the ground, wooden limbs clacking and Ed fell to his knees, eyes blazing as he tried to keep the suffering inside of himself.

**_It’ll take a little more._ **

**_I can get more._ **

Entire body trembling from the amount of control it took to keep the suffering inside, Ed rose to his feet again, glowing eyes downcast as he followed his senses to the next source.

**_–want them –need them –everything must be mine – need it –want it –nothing else matters –fame –power –wealth –women –friends –I want it all!_ **

**_Need it._ **

**_I can get it._ **

Ed stopped before Ling, the Xingese prince inhaling sharply. A scarred hand reached forward, aiming for his neck. The crowd instinctively took a step forward, as if to stop him.

Mere inches away, a voice cried out, stalling the blonde. “Edward!”

The teen turned glowing, vacant eyes away from the prince. Away from the crowd, Hohenhiem struggled with Envy, trying to keep the slippery puppet in his grasp. The puppet planted an elbow in his gut, but it was unused to fighting something as strong as it was.

“Let me go, you _bastard_!” Envy cursed loudly as it dug its nails into Hohenhiem’s flesh.

“Right here, Edward!” Hohenhiem called again. “This is what you want, isn’t it?! The sorrow and suffering that puppets hoard to live? That’s what you need! It’s right here!”

“ _You bastard_!” Envy cursed again, pushing against the floor with its toes, too far away from the ground in Hohenhiem’s grip.

**_– short hair –long –brown –blonde –red and black –eyes don’t match –pale or tan –pretty or bland –never right –never it –male or female – nothing fits!_ **

“Edward!” Hohenhiem called again. The blonde teen took a step away from the Xingese prince, his hand lowering. Fu and Lan Fan jumped between them, pushing Ling back, but Edward’s focus was already elsewhere.

Envy saw this and struggled harder, changing his form as if that would help. Dark hair and green eyes shot Ed a cheerful grin. “You wouldn’t hurt me, right Ed?” Maes pleaded, “Not after all I’ve done for you.”

“You _bastard_!” Roy **_–grief –my fault –I shouldn’t have sent him –why Maes?! –_**shouted, but Izumi held him back. No one wanted to get Ed’s attention.

When the blonde didn’t reply, Maes changed into Roy himself. “Metal! I order you to stand down! Metal? Edward!”

The blonde was only a few feet away now, his free arm coming up, reaching for the puppet.

Envy changed again, this time nearly slipping Hohenhiem’s grip when the body became much, much smaller. Blue eyes stared at Ed pleadingly, long blonde hair cascading down thin pale shoulders.

“Ed!” Winry begged, voice quivering, “Please, stop! You’re scaring me! Edward!”

The blonde hesitated, but he knew Winry **_–gone –they’re gone –Mom –Dad –why? –_** and this wasn’t her. He closed the gap between them quickly, hand going around her neck. She struggled, her head thrashing as she tried to escape, but Hohenhiem had a strong hold and Ed’s was even stronger.

The process was faster this time, the suffering gone, scooped out and scraped clean, leaving nothing behind but a faceless, hairless puppet –a project left unfinished. Hohenhiem gently placed it on the ground, like a father putting a child to bed.

**_Is that enough?_ **

**_No. Need more._ **

**_Where?_ **

**_There._ **

Hohenhiem looked up, into the still glowing eyes of his son. The boy was trembling with exertion at having to keep the puppet’s suffering within him as well as his own. Hohenhiem knew that it was hundreds upon hundreds of years trying to fit into one little body, he knew that if Edward tried to keep it within him much longer, he would self-destruct.

So what was his son waiting for?

He saw Ed’s hand twitch at his side, the knife falling from his grip and clattering to the ground. Ed’s mouth opened, but no sound came out. Tears leaked from his eyes and made silent tracks down his cheeks. His nose dripped blood profusely, the inner pressure making him bleed.

 _Oh Edward._ Hohenhiem thought, getting to his feet again. “It’s all right, son.”

He wrapped his arms around his child, the first time in ten years and the last chance he would get. “I’ve lived a long life, much longer than I should have. I’m ready to go, if you’re ready to help me.”

The body against his stiffened, then arms found their way around his waist and a bloodied, tearstained face pressed into his chest. Hohenhiem felt hands press into his back and the sorrow and pain of a life too long start to fade. He put a hand to his son’s head, ruffling the hair there.

“I’ll be fine.” Hohenhiem said, feeling the last of his sorrow being drained. “Just make sure that Alphonse is too.”

Then his vision was fading into whiteness, two sets of hands reaching out for his –one the calloused hands of a woodcarver, the other delicate hands he remembered holding as he whispered sweet nothings late into the night.

*          *          *          *          *

_The (real) story of the woodcarver:_

_The woman managed to persuade the man into marrying her, even after he told her of his secret. Her love for him was great, great enough to overcome every obstacle._

_Most obstacles, that is._

_A year into their marriage and the woman was still without child. The man knew this would happen and had started to pack his things, but the woman devised a plan. She thought of what the man had said about feeding off people’s sorrow and so she used it to her advantage. When he lay with her at night, she wanted so badly for a child that she cried and suffered for it._

_And she was granted it._

_Twice this worked, two little boys that were as human as their mother, but looked exactly like the man that was their father._

_The woman was pleased._

_The man was awestruck, that he could help make two little boys like this._

_The family was happy, until the townspeople began to notice the man did not age. His time was up, but he would not make his family leave with him. Instead, he packed his things, vowing to return when he had found a solution and could live and die with his wife in beautiful old age._

_And so the man left._

_Ten years later, he returned to a ruined house, a broken family, and no solution in hand._


	23. Last Stop: Home

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I don't own Fullmetal Alchemist or its characters.
> 
> The world, however, is mine and currently under development. If it inspires you, feel free to write more in the world. I always like reading new stories, so make sure to tag my story as inspiration so I can find your story that much faster.
> 
> PS -Sorry about the delayed update. I just finished moving into my summer housing and had a busy weekend moving in, getting ready for my internship and celebrating my brother's birthday and a friends graduation. But! this is the last chapter! I hope you all enjoy!

**_–long –too long –I had died, why-? –the tree –the fall –Father will be so sad…_ **

Ed fell to his knees, brain pounding and skin crawling as he tried to keep the suffering of his own father contained.

**_–Father is angry –need anger –fear –sorrow –despair –need it to grow –don’t want to make Father sad –scared –angry –need it –don’t want it–_ **

Ed felt his stomach heave as his lungs worked to get him _airneeditcan’tbreathe!_

**_–years –many years –too many years –time to leave –Father will die –the town knows –I can’t stay –Father will be gone –I will be alone–_ **

Blood dripped from Ed’s nose and ears as the pressure increased. The pattern for the reconstruction ritual started to glow around him, left over from the dead Golem Lord somewhere to his left.

**_–more years –more time –too long –all alone –why would you do this to me!?_ **

The blonde’s fingers dug into the ground, his nails chipping and tearing as he stared unseeing at the brickwork. People were calling his name, but he couldn’t hear.

**_Too much._ **

**_Not enough._ **

**_Too much, no more!_ **

**_Not enough._ **

**_Can’t! I can’t take it anymore!_ **

Edward felt the air in his lungs escape him in a scream as the warehouse shook and trembled. Roy fell to his hands and knees as the ground quaked beneath him. Izumi and her husband pressed themselves into the wall. Hawkeye took cover in the crevice she hid in, unable to move for fear of the building collapsing around her.

The pattern for the ritual grew brighter and brighter until it blinded everyone.

*          *          *          *          *

When Ed opened his eyes, the pressure was gone. He took several deep breaths, trying to regain control of himself. Looking up, he found himself in a white expanse, not another person in sight.

Well, that wasn’t true.

“ _So we meet again, human._ ” A being said. It was a strange thing. It was human in form, both a shadow and light itself. Its voice sounded like everyone Ed knew and at the same time like strangers. Most of all, it sounded like… “ _What is it this time? Golems? Suffering? Sounds about right._ ”

“W-who are you?” Ed asked, sitting back on his heels. As he looked around, he felt his nerves grow and his stomach did a nauseating flip. “Wh-Where am I?”

“ _Always with the same questions._ ” The being sighed, “ _Who am I? Where are you? What do I want with you?_ ” a million other questions seemed to echo in the space, but they were undiscernible to Ed’s ears.

Ed frowned, “How do you know me? You said ‘again’, but I don’t remember ever meeting you.”

“ _Ah! A new question!_ ” the being gave a slow clap, grinning with glee. “ _Maybe we’ll actually get somewhere._ ”

Ed shifted off of his ankles as they started to lose blood flow.

“ _Right now, you are in a world between worlds, a time between times._ ” The being stated. “ _You and I, we have met here many times before. Nearly every life you’ve lived has brought you here, one way or another._ ”

“Lives?” Edward questioned, but the being continued as if it hadn’t heard.

“ _You really are predictable._ ” The being pointed a finger at the blonde, “ _Let me guess. You’re here for your brother. Something happened before and you performed the forbidden in order to get him back._ ”

Ed gasped, eyes growing wide.

“ _But that led to something even worse and now you’ve lost him for good._ ” The being waved flippantly, as if the case was done and over with. “ _So what are you doing here? There’s nothing here for you._ ”

“No.” Ed gritted his teeth, his fingers digging into his palms. “I’m not leaving! Not without Alphonse!”

The being sighed, “ _What is with you brothers? Reliving the same thing over and over again? Do you like suffering? Do you enjoy it? I know it tastes good, but for a human, it can’t be all that pleasant._ ”

“Tastes…?” Edward felt his tongue grow heavy in his mouth, his stomach turning at the thought. “You _eat_ …?”

“ _Why not?_ ” the being asked. “ _All the humans that come here come with suffering in spades. They can’t take it with them, where they’re going, so I have to do something with it. Although… yours always does taste better for how much you struggle against the inevitable._ ”

“Then take it.” Ed ordered, pushing himself to his feet. “Take it all! And give me Al!”

“ _That’s not how the world works._ ” The being frowned, crossing its arms. “ _Equivalent exchange isn’t the rule anymore, hasn’t been since those people told others about what is beyond the gate. Since then, nothing has ever been equal._ ”

“I don’t care about then!” Edward yelled, hands tearing into his hair, “All I want now is Alphonse back! That’s it!”

“ _That’s it, he says_.” The being huffed, “ _As if it’s that simple!_ ”

“Please…” Ed begged, falling to his knees again. The being was silent as the blonde eyes began to burn and his throat swelled painfully. “I just want Al back.”

A few more moments of silence passed, then the being finally spoke. “ _Tell you what. I’ll take your suffering this once and give you back your brother._ ”

Edward’s head shot up, eyes filled with disbelief.

“ _But_!” the being held up a finger, “ _I require something of you._ ”

“Anything!” the blonde promised recklessly.

“ _I need you to restore the balance of this world._ ” The being stated, reclining back on a shadowed hand.

Edward frowned, “How am I supposed to do that?”

“ _Mmm… you’ll know._ ” The being said, waving as Edward started to disintegrate. The blonde was startled to see his hands and feet crumbling like Al had, but… strangely enough, he wasn’t scared. It was almost as if he had seen this before. “ _Good-bye, little alchemist. Until next time!_ ”

“Alchemist?” Edward repeated, “But I’m…!”

The rest of his sentence vanished as he did.

*          *          *          *          *

“Edward!” Roy yelled as the blonde collapsed on the ground, body completely limp. The puppet that had been his father, a small thing that looked strikingly similar to the teen, lay a few inches away, emptied of the memories and suffering it had harbored.

“Edward!” Izumi called as she ran forward, tripping over the puppet that used to be Envy, and landing on her knees at Ed’s side. Her husband was close behind her and Roy closer still as he checked on his young charge.

Izumi pressed a finger to his throat, then a hand to his forehead, announcing, “He’s still breathing, but he feel as cold as ice.”

“We’ll need to get him to a hospital.” Roy replied, draping his coat over the young Golem Lord. “Armstrong! I need you to-!”

A groan cut him off, but it wasn’t from Edward. Every eye in the room looked to where Al’s broken body used to lay.

The pieces of clay and metal were gone, replaced with a moving, breathing _person_.

“Sir!” Hawkeye called from her perch. “It’s Alphonse!”

Lurching to his feet, Roy stumbled his first few steps as he ran over to check, _just to be sure_.

Alphonse groaned again, frowning and squeezing his eyes shut tighter as he moved a hand to rub at his temple. The boy looked older, as if he had aged two years in the time since they’d last seen him as a golem. Not only that, but when Roy helped him sit up, he felt a warmth coming from the boy’s body that the golem had never hand.

Alphonse wasn’t just back, he was _human_.

“Shit.” Roy cursed to himself, completely unable to believe what he was seeing. “Hawkeye! Get down here, now!”

“Sir?” Havoc asked, having already made his way down. He slung the assault rifle onto his shoulder with the strap and crouched beside his guild master. “Sir, what’s going on?”

“Edward has done the impossible.” Roy breathed. “He brought Alphonse back.”

“Brother?” the teen groaned again, his toes curling and his knees bending as he slowly woke up. “Where’s Brother? Ed?”

“My God…” Havoc gasped, nearly choking on his cigarette. “Sir, I’m not a Golem Lord, but… is this a _normal_ thing?”

“No, Havoc, no it’s not.” Roy looked over to where the youngest Golem Lord in history was still sprawled into Izumi’s arms, completely unconscious. “Not in the least.”

*          *          *          *          *

The elder Elric brother slept for days in his hospital bed, not moving an inch. At times, Al feared that his brother had given his life up for his own, but the doctors assured him that the older teen was only sleeping. They couldn’t figure out what was keeping him asleep, despite their best efforts though, so the only thing Al could do was wait.

The doctors had given Al an all clear. He was completely cured of the plague that had tormented his childhood and was actually healthier than normal teens his age. He was also very much human as his embarrassing nudity could attest. The rest of the Guild had tried to get him to explore his new-found humanity, but Al declined, instead taking up a sentinel over his brother.

Finally, day five, his waiting paid off.

He was just in the middle of munching his way through an apple, his hunger coming back stronger than ever, when he felt his brother twitch. Immediately, Alphonse was at the older blonde’s side, eyes focused on Ed’s face, waiting for him to wake up.

The older brother groaned, face twisting up in disgust of the light pouring through his window. Slowly, golden eyes blinked open and focused on Al’s hovering face.

“Brother?” Alphonse asked gently, not wanting to startle his brother. His brother blinked, eyes vacant as if he didn’t recognize Al and the younger Elric felt his stomach twist, but then Ed smiled at him, more genuine than Al had seen in years.

“Hey Al…” Ed drawled, sleep making his words slur. Al felt an answering smile stretch across his own face. “Good to see you out of bed for once. Feeling better today?”

In the next heartbeat, Alphonse felt his world shatter.

*          *          *          *          *

They called it retrograde amnesia.

“His memories of the past few years have been misplaced.” The doctors tried to explain. “There’s a high probability of getting them back over time. Just, don’t get frustrated when he doesn’t remember something.”

But it wasn’t just that. Alphonse knew it. His illness used to be a main point of concern and worry for his brother, but now, Ed didn’t seem overly surprised that Al could not only get out of bed, but run, jump and fight with the best of them (excluding Izumi who had gone home to tend the Curtis shop).

What’s more, the anniversary of their mother’s death might have just passed by if Al hadn’t remembered.

“Oh yeah.” Ed noted easily, staring out the window at the birds and squirrels in the trees. “She died today, didn’t she?”

Alphonse felt his world break a little more.

“Hey, Al!” Ed pushed his legs over the bed with a bright grin, “We should go outside!”

“Brother!” Al scolded. “You’re supposed to stay in bed!”

“Al, it’s my head that’s messed up, not my body.” The older brother rolled his eyes, trying to push past Al to get to his shoes. “A little time outside won’t hurt anyone!”

“Am I interrupting something?” Roy asked from the door. This was his first time visiting since he heard of Ed’s diagnosis. He was fully prepared to explain who he was and what Ed meant to his guild.

So he was speechless when Ed shot him a glare and ordered, “Hey, bastard, tell Al to get out of my way!”

“Excuse me?” Roy blinked.

“Brother… you remember Guild Master Mustang?” Al asked tentatively.

“Yeah?” Ed frowned, “Why wouldn’t I?”

“What do you remember?” Roy asked before Al could get his hopes up.

“That, um…” golden eyes focused themselves on the floor as Ed ran through all he could remember. “Actually… not much? It’s like…” he let out a frustrated huff. “It’s like it’s there, I know you. I know lots of names and faces and they aren’t connected. I know you, but I don’t _know_ you… does that make sense?”

“Hardly.” Roy sighed. “Who else do you know?”

“Hawkeye, Armstrong, Ling…” Edward listed off, “I know the people down at the Youswell mines, some bastard named Yoki that I know should make me mad but doesn’t and… Maes.”

Roy and Al startled at the last name.

“I remember Maes.” Ed frowned, scratching at his head as if something he found something dumbfounding. “I remember hearing about his death. His funeral has probably passed already. I probably missed it.”

“How does that make you feel?” Roy asked, unable to take the light-hearted tone that Ed kept talking in.

“Um… sorry, but not sorry?” Ed tried. “I can’t… I know that I should be upset and guilty over what happened, especially since it was my home town and my own house, but…There’s nothing.”

“Nothing?” Al repeated.

Ed shook his head. “Huh-uh, nothing. I don’t… feel sad, or angry or anything.”

“So if I said you were a brat-?” Roy didn’t even get to finish the question before Ed was jabbing an elbow into his stomach.

“ _Watch who you’re calling a snot-nosed little rugrat!_ ” Ed shouted loud enough to have doctors streaming to his door. Alphonse was just barely able to hold him back. It was times like these that he wish he still had the strength of his golem self.

“Yeah, I deserved that.” Roy wheezed, clutching his stomach. “So you can still _get_ angry, just not _remember_ it.”

Ed paused at that, thinking in through. “I guess?”

“Can you still make golems?” Roy asked, serious. Ed fell quiet. Alphonse felt him go limp in his arms.

“Brother?” Al called. “Ed?”

“I…” Unconsciously, Edward shot a look to the end table with a single drawer. Curious, Roy walked over to open it as Alphonse gently let his brother go. Inside were two bat-like golems. Eeba was curled up in a corner, patiently waiting to be called on, but the other –one with a single large eye –stared unseeing at the edges of the drawer.

Gently picking it up with his hands, Roy inspected the Batai replica. It still held the same craftsmanship he had seen in Ed since the beginning, but the EMETH written on its underbelly had no effect. The golem was lifeless.

Gently replacing it in the drawer, Roy closed it and turned to Ed. “What do you remember about the warehouse?”

“I…” Ed frowned. “I remember being too late to save Al. There was a buzzing in my ears and the grief overwhelmed me.”

“Alphonse came to me with the belief that you might have had empathy.” Roy stated, leaning back and crossing his arms.

“It’s possible.” Ed shrugged, “But I don’t feel anything now. Not since I woke up. Back then though… it consumed me –to the point where I thought I could hear it.”

“What did it say?” Roy arched an eyebrow.

“It wanted more.” Ed’s shoulder tensed. Al wrapped a hand around his brother’s, trying to offer comfort. “It told me I could save Al if I took more suffering. There was a puppet right behind me, full of sorrow and anguish. I just… reached out and took it.”

“Gluttony.” Roy offered, “The puppet that was Gluttony. He was about to eat you.”

Ed shrugged. “The voice told me it wasn’t enough. So I found more. The next fought harder.”

“Lust.”

“She went down too, but the voice still wasn’t satisfied.” Ed continued. “I went for another one.”

“Ling.”

Ed shook his head. “No, I’ve never felt that much grief from Ling. This was something else entirely.”

Roy frowned and made a mental note to check it out.

“But my dad distracted me with that other puppet, Envy.” Ed said, filling in the blank before Roy could. “Envy tried to play tricks, but its suffering never changed. Even with that, though, the voice still craved more and I…”

Ed’s voice choked off and golden eyes looked up at Roy beseechingly. “I took Dad’s suffering. I took it all, until nothing was left. Why don’t I feel bad? I killed him! Why don’t I feel guilt for it?!”

Al wrapped his arms around his brother, wishing he could take his pain away.

“He asked for it, Ed.” Roy replied. He had only known once the blonde man had been reduced to a puppet shell that the man had been Ed and Al’s father. Izumi hadn’t told him until the day she had left for Dublith. Roy wondered if he would ever understand the love of a father for his sons.

“But I-!” Ed choked again, this time with tears following. “I should feel something for it! Anything!”

“What happened next, Edward?” Roy pressed. He didn’t want to force the boy to relive painful memories, but if it could help them figure out what was going on with him, it might just be worth the effort.

“I… it got to be too much.” Ed said, wiping his nose with his sleeve. “The suffering was all pushing at me, trying to escape. I tried to keep it in, but I just… couldn’t. Next thing I knew, I was in a white place.”

Roy frowned and crossed his arms. “You never left the warehouse.”

“I was in a white place.” Ed repeated, determined now. “There was a being there. It… wasn’t human. It told me there was nothing left for me there, but I demanded that it give Al back.”

“I’m assuming it did.” Roy replied, looking to the younger Elric who watched on with wide eyes.

“We struck a deal.” Ed answered. “It took all of my suffering and gave Al back. There was more, but… I don’t remember.”

“All of your suffering?” Roy put a finger to his chin. “It could be that it took the memory of suffering that you had. The sorrow of Maes’ death…”

“And mom’s.” Al chimed in. “And the worry you felt when I was sick!”

“But why does that leave so much of the past two years a blur?” Ed asked.

“If our theory of empathy is correct,” Roy locked eyes with Al. “It could be that you were suffering the entire time, having to deal with emotions that weren’t yours.”

“That… would make sense.” Ed admitted, feeling like a weight had lifted off his shoulders. Nothing was wrong with his brain. It was just the price he had to pay to get his brother back.

And looking at his brother now, flesh and bone and healthier than ever, he would have made the same choice over and over again, no matter how many times it took.

*          *          *          *          *

_The (real) story of the woodcarver:_

_The family the man left behind had a series of unfortunate events. The mother died from the plague that ravaged the town and the younger son fell victim as well. It was left to the other son to deal with the consequences._

_Over time, the brothers faced many trials and suffered greatly. The younger son was lost, but, with the help of the returned father, the older son was able to save him at the cost of his own grief._

_The woodcarver’s son was finally able to move on to afterlife that had been stolen from him and his sons were able to live happily ever after, surrounded by the friends they had made on their journey._

_And no one would have wanted it any other way._

THE END

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And that is the end of Golem Lord! Whooo! Now on to the next one! For those of you who stuck through to the end, I am planning a prequel of sorts as well as a sequel. I have the first two chapters done and am planning to work on the rest before I start posting. Hope to see you all there!


	24. Chapter 24

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sorry to disappoint, but it's just uploading the cover that my friend made a while ago. I think it's pretty neat! :D

**Author's Note:**

> Reviews: I don't want to hear "Good job!" or "Update soon!". If you want to say either of those, just drop a kudos. Only make a comment if you're giving constructive criticism, something that can make my writing or my world better.


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